THE BORE

General => The Superdeep Borehole => Topic started by: The Fake Shemp on September 08, 2009, 06:13:48 PM

Title: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 08, 2009, 06:13:48 PM
After a midday conference call, I got a ring from a fellow filmmaker who wanted to talk up a spec before he got his pitch package finalized. He plans on writing/directing a science fiction film that blasts a futuristic socialist society (one world currency, government dictated jobs, big brother, etc.) - funded by some right-wingers.

I asked why he felt the need to write a science fiction film, citing the lack of truly great genre films written and directed by the same person. Even two of the most influential sci-fi directors of our time, Ridley Scott and James Cameron, did not direct screenplays written exclusively by themselves.

(Yes, even Cameron had other writers involved.)

His response - no joke - was "maybe they're not great filmmakers".

He went on to talk about PTA, Todd Solondz and Quentin Taratino, as directors "who have a deep connection with their art that other directors who do not write will never be able to appreciate".

I brought up that none of them have actually directed sci-fi, and his response is, "Well, I will succeed where Ridley Scott and James Cameron did not, because I have confidence in my craft that neither have."

This was an entirely serious conversation. At two points, I had to mute my phone entirely, because I was either flabbergasted or laughing.

I asked him to watch Overnight, which he says people keep telling him to watch (surprise).

Apparently, he already has handshake deals in place for funding, and after receiving a detailed plot synopsis, I asked if one of exec producers would be Glenn Beck. There was no answer. :lol
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Great Rumbler on September 08, 2009, 06:30:27 PM
Maybe you haven't heard of a little-known scifi director named GEORGE LUCAS.

spoiler (click to show/hide)
:smug
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Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 08, 2009, 06:32:20 PM
 :lol
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 08, 2009, 06:48:34 PM
Why does it matter that the genre does not have a strong track record of good films written and directed by the same person?

Uh, that pretty much speaks for itself.

Blomkamp, again, did not write District 9 by himself. And it's not like that film is a sacred cow, as well. Way to prove your point using a film that had another writer attached to it?

... Science fiction is a pretty tough genre to pull off, quality wise. It takes a degree of talent in terms of the writer, the director and the crew involved. The best science fiction films are usually collaborative projects.

That's the point.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: HyperZoneWasAwesome on September 08, 2009, 06:49:03 PM
Todd Solondz?!  His films are harder to watch then Micheal Haneke's, and just as cruel.

It takes massive cojones to slam Ridley Scott's sci-fi record.  The rest of his resume could be charitably called "spotty", but he's made two acknowledged classics of the genre.  Blade Runner itself being arguably the best science fiction film of all time.
He plans on writing/directing a science fiction film that blasts a futuristic socialist society (one world currency, government dictated jobs, big brother, etc.) - funded by some right-wingers.
Already seen Logan's Run, thx k bye.


ps to main point - Gattaca.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 08, 2009, 06:51:12 PM
Oh, I agree. This was total ego.

The concept has been done, but there's always room for fresh stories told with similar trappings.

I'm just not sure that it will happen with a writer/director that seriously is willing to slam Cameron and Scott, considering their contributions to the genre.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 08, 2009, 07:00:48 PM
This is an independent deal, hence why he's getting funding directly, and not a studio picture.

There is a massive, massive difference between coming up with the story - or even writing a treatment - and writing a screenplay solo.

Like I said, we're all aware that Cameron comes up the story for almost all his films. He's a pretty giant egomaniac and loves control, but even he hands off the screenplay to another writer. That's not a studio decision, it's smart filmmaking.

It is incredibly difficult to remain fixated on two very different jobs when working in a genre as ambitious and tough to pull off as science fiction. That is why you hire talented folks to work on it.

Disregarding the effort put in by another writer, because it was not their concept, is pretty ignorant.

... Even if he had all the talent in the world (which he doesn't), I wouldn't expect him to pull it off. Why?

Because the vast majority of credible, and legitimately talented filmmakers cannot do it by themselves.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Great Rumbler on September 08, 2009, 07:01:21 PM
Oh, by the way, Avator is written just by Cameron, so we'll see how that turns out.

I'd say that it's possible for someone to direct their own scifi screenplay, and there are some good examples out there, but just from the nature of the genre it's not really the ideal way to do it. Even Kubrick brought Clarke on board for 2001.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: HyperZoneWasAwesome on September 08, 2009, 07:04:35 PM
Not to mention that Jimmy boy had about the better part of a decade to work on and assemble every aspect of Avatar by himself as much as he could.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Human Snorenado on September 08, 2009, 07:10:04 PM
That's pretty par for the course out there.  Everyone is a raging egomaniacal doucheburger.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 08, 2009, 07:45:26 PM
I disagree with that - there are plenty of level headed individuals.

Most ego is propelled by success. I can't understand the sense of entitlement that some people have, considering they haven't even done anything.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: AdmiralViscen on September 08, 2009, 10:43:20 PM
You really stuck it to him Willco! Right on!
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 08, 2009, 11:01:49 PM
I don't know what you're talking about /bones
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: clothedmacuser on September 08, 2009, 11:02:13 PM
Make sure you suggest a behind the scenes filmmaker on set.  If this guy has the ego you describe then the BTS could make for a better movies.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: BlueTsunami on September 08, 2009, 11:16:23 PM
Oh, by the way, Avator is written just by Cameron, so we'll see how that turns out.

Judging purely off the trailer, it looks like its going to turn into soppy shit. I'll be there for the spectacle though.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: chronovore on September 09, 2009, 02:07:05 AM
I agree that the guy comes off as a pretty huge douche to go slamming two Hall of Fame directors like that. Has he completed the script yet at least?

Btw, this has got me thinking: Tarantino should really try his hand at sci/fi for his next film.

Why would he want to do that? The best thing Tarantino has going for him is his dialog, most of which centers around the culture of the last 30 years. Probably the best thing he'd pull off would be an observation on the SF genre of a given period, '70s, '80s or '90s, and working within that context. But just tossing out "do a SF film" is like saying Elmore Leonard should be writing scifi.
spoiler (click to show/hide)
Which, incidentally, is what William Gibson said he was channeling when he wrote Virtual Light and Idoru; it's near-future SF as Leonard may have written it.
[close]
spoiler (click to show/hide)
Christ, I'm not helping my own point much.
[close]
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Cormacaroni on September 09, 2009, 02:13:22 AM
William Gibson hasn't been channeling much of anything in quite some time.

I haven't had the slightest indication that Tarantino even likes sci-fi, so I have no idea why anyone else would want this. If he liked it and was interested in doing it, we'd know about it.

Now a spaghetti western, you can tell he wants to do one of those. I think he even appeared in that one Miike did. I'd be interested.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 09, 2009, 02:14:21 AM
Haven't his last two films (excluding Death Proof) basically been spaghetti westerns? :lol
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Cormacaroni on September 09, 2009, 02:18:24 AM
don't you :lol at me young man or i'll give you a cockflogging you'll never remember

yes, well, there is a lot of the spaghetti western in ALL of his films, I think. I'd like to see him go all the way though.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 09, 2009, 02:19:13 AM
I'm siding with chronovore on this one, artistic style is no reason to attempt to direct a flick in the most difficult genre to sell.

I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you, love.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Cormacaroni on September 09, 2009, 02:19:51 AM
p.s. i may be wrong about the Miike thing. Might have been some Korean director. It starred mostly J actors and QT had a cameo. help me out here nerds.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Cormacaroni on September 09, 2009, 02:24:39 AM
all is forgiven Willco :-*

Agreed on the sci-fi. You sell a sci-fi movie on high concept or amazing visuals, not on hipster style or dialog. Maybe QT might be into some kind of drive-in spoof but I can't see that being much good. If he was wildly into it, what the hell, i'd go see it, but I haven't had any indication that he's even interested. And he's never going to direct someone else's script at this stage, is he? If he was going to cash in and do an Alien sequel, say, he'd have done it years ago when his mojo was mighty.

Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Don Flamenco on September 09, 2009, 02:27:27 AM
p.s. i may be wrong about the Miike thing. Might have been some Korean director. It starred mostly J actors and QT had a cameo. help me out here nerds.

sukiyaki western django?
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: BlueTsunami on September 09, 2009, 02:28:15 AM
The direction Tarintino would take with a take on Sci-Fi would definitely be bogged down with the culture reference. There definitely has to be some familiarity with the movies scenario for said dialog to work and Science Fiction is usually out of this world or so far ahead that those pop culture and witty dialog would probably feel awkward.

What I would like to see from Tarantino is a straight up Noir of some sort, based in the forties or fifties.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 09, 2009, 02:28:19 AM
Directors, especially those who wrote their own films early on, actually tend to direct other people's work later on in their careers. Usually it's the result of sliding box office returns or hitting a creative wall, so to speak.

Tarantino is on something of a roll, in terms of increasing box office performance. So I doubt he'll be forced to do so anytime so.

I think he's probably too neurotic about his "vision" to deal with a writer, though.

Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Cormacaroni on September 09, 2009, 02:29:33 AM
p.s. i may be wrong about the Miike thing. Might have been some Korean director. It starred mostly J actors and QT had a cameo. help me out here nerds.

sukiyaki western django?

that's the one. is it any good?
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 09, 2009, 02:30:25 AM
I heard it was pretty meh.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Cormacaroni on September 09, 2009, 02:31:55 AM
Straight up noir - i dunno. i think one of his strengths is that he rarely keeps to a given mood or vibe throughout the whole movie, so I think he'd struggle to make a 'straight' noir film. I think he could make an interesting film within the broad outlines of noir but it wouldn't be The Maltese Falcon by a long stretch.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: HyperZoneWasAwesome on September 09, 2009, 03:26:16 AM
a fascinating thing about QT's career is that even though so many of his films are similar in many ways, its very easy to track how he's growing as a filmmaker and how he's picking up new tricks with every film.  I know for damn sure that QT could direct the shit outta of any gun-for-hire work, but I doubt that would ever interest him.

He can do a straight film just fine, Jackie Brown for example is an adaptation AND better then you remember it being.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Great Rumbler on September 09, 2009, 11:08:26 AM
p.s. i may be wrong about the Miike thing. Might have been some Korean director. It starred mostly J actors and QT had a cameo. help me out here nerds.

sukiyaki western django?

that's the one. is it any good?

It has Japanese actors speaking their lines in English.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Draft on September 09, 2009, 11:34:16 AM
Why would directors, who are famous and desired by beautiful women, waste their time doing something like "writing" a script?
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Tauntaun on September 09, 2009, 12:39:38 PM
After a midday conference call, I got a ring from a fellow filmmaker who wanted to talk up a spec before he got his pitch package finalized. He plans on writing/directing a science fiction film that blasts a futuristic socialist society (one world currency, government dictated jobs, big brother, etc.) - funded by some right-wingers.

I asked why he felt the need to write a science fiction film, citing the lack of truly great genre films written and directed by the same person. Even two of the most influential sci-fi directors of our time, Ridley Scott and James Cameron, did not direct screenplays written exclusively by themselves.

(Yes, even Cameron had other writers involved.)

His response - no joke - was "maybe they're not great filmmakers".

He went on to talk about PTA, Todd Solondz and Quentin Taratino, as directors "who have a deep connection with their art that other directors who do not write will never be able to appreciate".

I brought up that none of them have actually directed sci-fi, and his response is, "Well, I will succeed where Ridley Scott and James Cameron did not, because I have confidence in my craft that neither have."

This was an entirely serious conversation. At two points, I had to mute my phone entirely, because I was either flabbergasted or laughing.

I asked him to watch Overnight, which he says people keep telling him to watch (surprise).

Apparently, he already has handshake deals in place for funding, and after receiving a detailed plot synopsis, I asked if one of exec producers would be Glenn Beck. There was no answer. :lol

:rofl
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Tieno on September 09, 2009, 01:11:39 PM
I always had this idea (from reading other posts about him) that Willco was a piece of shit nobody internet inbred mongloid, but he seems pretty normal and successful.  :wtf
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 09, 2009, 01:27:30 PM
Only about 75% of that is true, Tieno.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Reb on September 09, 2009, 01:52:10 PM
I always had this idea (from reading other posts about him) that Willco was a piece of shit nobody internet inbred mongloid, but he seems pretty normal and successful.  :wtf

Hey! He's not inbred!
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Tauntaun on September 09, 2009, 04:25:05 PM
I always had this idea (from reading other posts about him) that Willco was a piece of shit nobody internet inbred mongloid, but he seems pretty normal and successful.  :wtf

Willco is hawt secks you best recognize.  :mrt
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 09, 2009, 05:35:14 PM
I always had this idea (from reading other posts about him) that Willco was a piece of shit nobody internet inbred mongloid, but he seems pretty normal and successful.  :wtf

Hey! He's not inbred!

Actually, that part is true.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Disposable White Guy on September 10, 2009, 02:26:03 AM
Tell him he should write/direct a sequel to Blade Runner, only this time the Replicants are so perfect that VK tests can't weed them out and they can only be retired after their faces melt from crying.  And more symbolism involving unicorns.  That'll learn Ridley Scott.  Fucking hack.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: The Fake Shemp on September 10, 2009, 03:31:31 AM
(You know who it is, he'll never watch anything made before 1992)
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Disposable White Guy on September 10, 2009, 10:15:54 AM
Protip:  Whenever you talk about somebody crazy, I always know who it is.
Title: Re: Tales of Crazy Hollywood People II: Troy Duffy Version (ft. Glenn Beck)
Post by: Tauntaun on September 10, 2009, 10:30:24 AM
Protip:  Whenever you talk about somebody crazy, I always know who it is.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/Belligerent/banana2.jpg)