Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Jeffrey Harris decided to sign his real name today... a novel idea at AICN, I know... but I can see why. He’s having a blast at the Austin Film Festival right now, and he’s happy to take credit for the work he’s doing. Justifiably so, too. Volunteers are pretty much the backbone of every festival I’ve ever been to, and they’re the unsung heroes. They’re the ones that make sure the thing actually happens. So let’s hand the mic over to one of the quiet masses for a moment and see what’s up in Austin right now...
Well that was certainly an interesting day. Ok, where to start. I’m a volunteer worker for the AFF, Austin Film Festival. Today the festival coordinator, Darlene, had me pegged to be selling merchandise at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel to guests. Well I got there a little early at around 8:45 AM and I guess the merchandising crap got thrown out the window. So Darlene assigned me to watch the Meet and Greets at the festival across the street at the Driskill Hotel. Considering that I hadn’t read the handbook yet, I figured I was just going to just check people’s passes and badges. The meet and greet is actually like a mini-panel type thing. It is basically thus, a director or screenwriter is in a room with about 10 people, and we can exchange question and answers, almost like a more intimate panel/Q and A.
Alright so the first meet and greet featured none other than DAVID MCKENNA! I didn’t really know what was going on so I couldn’t bring a recorder so this isn’t a full transcript, but I’ll try to recount a lot of subjects Mr. McKenna did cover. For those wondering, McKenna is a screenwriter of films such as “American History X,” “Blow,” “Get Carter,” and the yet to be released movie, “S.W.A.T.” McKenna actually co-wrote the movie, “Bully” but I’ll get into that in time:
McKenna says the problem with movies now is that they are about 20% creativity and 80% business. He also noted that in the 70’s, 80’s, and part of the 90’s, creativity and business seemed to be pretty balanced. He also said that movies like Big Fat Greek Wedding are important because they can sometimes add some more of the percentage back to creativity and make it about 25%-75%.
He candidly talked about what happened with “American History X,” which he wrote and co-produced. McKenna said he, Edward Norton, and Tony Kaye all worked well as a “team” when the movie was filmed. However, he stated that Tony Kaye was originally a commercial director and inexperienced. Kaye just couldn’t “find the movie” in the editing room and in the dailies. So, McKenna and Ed Norton found it and put it together.
What happened with “Bully”? McKenna was in the middle of the book and decided he wanted to develop it into a film. He co-wrote the movie, and Larry Clark became the director. However, McKenna was disgusted and repulsed the way Clark put all the gratuitous sex in it, and McKenna didn’t think it was about that. McKenna took his name off of it, and he said it is ok to take your name off of a 2 million dollar picture, because only when you do it on the big films do you start “burning bridges.”
When asked about advice about people who want to break in the business he recalled a story with Edward Norton. Someone asked Edward Norton for advice, and Norton said, “Find other things you like doing, and go with that.” McKenna asked Norton why he said that. Norton replied with, “Because if I really tell him, he’s going to fail anyway.”
McKenna says when you write violence you should do it responsibly. He claimed that he told Jim Uhls, screenwriter of “Fight Club” to his face, that the violence in Fight Club was irresponsible. He also said he hated “Fight Club’s” ending, and it was like someone asking, “Forgive me for being violent.”
He says his wife is “expensive” and he does fun, popcorn movies like “S.W.A.T.” to pay the bills.
He thinks revisionist filmmaking is fine as long as it’s the filmmakers altering it and not Cleanflix.
So that’s pretty much it for the McKenna meet and greet. I’d just like to say that he was very nice, approachable, cool guy, and took a picture with me once I got out of uniform. I’d also like to note that McKenna is huge and really built.
Now things were funny for the next meet and greet session. It was scheduled to feature screenwriter Shane Black, but for some reason there was a last minute change for it to be director/screenwriter and fellow Texan, John Lee Hancock. So the meet and greet started with Hancock leading it off, and then Shane Black showed up a few minutes later with a bit of an insane, “What the fuck happened here? Did they fucking start without me” look in his eyes, or maybe that was just me. I suggested they have a cage match. In the end everything was cool, and Shane Black and Hancock did a DOUBLE meet and greet. My GOD, do I have good luck or what? Some of Black’s credits include writing such films as “Lethal Weapon 1”, “Lethal Weapon 2”, “The Last Boy Scout”, “Monster Squad”, and “The Long Kiss Goodnight”. Hancock has written and directed “Hard Time Romance”, director of “The Rookie”, writer of “A Perfect World”, and director of the upcoming “THE ALAMO” film. Here’s what went down:
Shane Black was not happy with “The Long Kiss Goodnight”. He said Renny Harlin was trying to make it too big with too many explosions, and he should’ve made it smaller.
John Lee Hancock talked about what was going on with “The Alamo”. He said it will not have fake characters in it, and that when Howard was directing the movie people would just send him stacks of scripts for it. He heard about all the issues about Disney not wanting to pay more money and the people attached to it not liking the direction is going in, and it came off as if it was somewhere in middle. Hancock said he has hundreds of Alamo books and will probably look at lots of ideas and theories about went on and will probably pick and choose what works best for him.
Shane Black says Richard Donner’s new movie “Timeline” is going to suck, and that he talked to Donner about the actors he’s getting for the movie like Paul Walker, and Black of course thinks he sucks, personally I do as well.
Hancock says he was very fortunate with his experience with “The Rookie”, and the studio people left him alone. He says the low point was two weeks into filmmaking when Dennis Quaid asked Hancock if he was doing alright with the acting and if it was working. Quaid was not confident about it. Hancock reassured him, but then asked himself, “What if it isn’t working?” But things turned out well.
Hancock and Black both think revisionist filmmaking is bullshit, and of course that made me very happy. Hancock noted that on the DVD’s all the extra material and footage should be separate from the actual film, and he does his best in commentary to explain why.
Black talked a bit about Richard Donner. He told a story about how when you drive in a car with Donner you’d need to distract him from looking out the window or put a blindfold out them because Donner will see something and immediately want to put it in a film. Donner had an idea for “Lethal Weapon”, where the girl who dies at the opening has a twin sister, and wanted her to have a big Indian wedding. He got the idea after viewing one himself. Black and others had to explain to Donner why, would the twin sister have a big Indian wedding when her sister just died. Donner was very upset he couldn’t put the big Indian wedding in the film.
Shane Black recounted a very funny story about a studio executive, who he did not name. Black was sitting next to the executive during a screening that had an audience. There was a shot of an actress on a fire escape in the screening, but you could not see her face. Black leaned over to the executive and explained that it would be ok, and they would insert close-up shots of the actress’ face, etc. The studio guy replied with, “Can’t you just flip the film over?” That one had me in stitches. Hancock replied with, “I wish we had a camera like that.”
Hancock and Shane Black were both very professional and it was a pleasure talking with them. Before they left they took pictures with me, but only when I was out of uniform (strict volunteer policy). I mean my God, I go to volunteer work that morning expecting to sell t-shirts and I end up getting the privilege of talking to these great filmmakers. And on top of all that, later in the day I get to see the best damn movie of the year. And it actually has nothing to do with JRR Tolkien….
COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE
This movie is not anime, and I will argue that to the grave. Well sure, it was produced in Japan. It has very kinetic action. The characters have exaggerated features, small mouths, and overstated eyes. The women in the film dress up in scantily clad, fan-service outfits. There’s the deep melodrama, and yeah it takes place on Mars in the year 2071. But it is not sci-fi either. “Cowboy Bebop” is really film noir.
I’ll explain why. Look at the ponderous monologues and dialogue. The dark shadows and sometimes drained colors of the film, the perfect jazz music, and the deep melancholy tone. “Cowboy Bebop” is film noir, not anime. I’d even argue that “Cowboy Bebop” is a million times the film noir Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report” merely just ATTEMPTED to be.
You know, I could’ve seen this earlier. Many fellow Bebop fans offered to send me a copy of the subtitled version. Others suggested I just buy the import DVD. However, I was determined to watch this movie for the first time the right way, and that was in theatres. When Ravvy initially told me this movie would be showing at the Austin Film Festival, I thought he was just screwing with me like he usually does. To my chagrin, but my everlasting delight, he was telling the truth. So as quickly as possible I signed up to do AFF volunteer work at the Westgate 11 theatre where it would play. After doing some usher work I took my seat. And it was actually next to an ADV anime voice actor named Burt Weaver.
The Japanese version of the movie was actually named “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” which was changed for its release to the states. Thanks to online fan petitions, all the English dubbed voice actors from the series remain as the characters in the movies. So yes, badass David Lucas is still the depressed, chain smoking Spike Spiegel. Beau Billingslea remains the definitive Jet Black. Wendi Lee is the bitchy, sexy Faye Valentine, and of course Melissa Charles as the freaky girl person, Ed.
Here’s the deal. Faye is on the trail of a young hacker. Instead she finds a mysterious looking, hairy guy dressed in black that blows up a chemical truck on a highway in Alpha City, Mars. It turns out the truck was filled with some undetectable virus or biological weapon, and apparently it doesn’t affect the man who set it off at all, who happens to be named Vincent. Well, the Martian government puts a 300 million Wulong bounty on his head, so of course the bounty hunter crew of the destitute Cowboy Bebop is determined to collect it.
As always the plot thickens. Vincent was a former army soldier and was a guinea pig for a deadly chemical weapon virus and was given a vaccine as well. Vincent was one of the few soldiers that survived. However, he’s tortured by the visions in his dreams and the golden butterflies he can’t stop seeing. He sees the only solution as killing everyone on Mars with the chemical weapon and perhaps escape the Purgatory like state he is in. The army is trying to quickly cover this mess they made up, and Spike gets in the middle of it, first off when he runs into an army Lieutenant named Electra (Jennifer Hale) and then Vincent himself. Of course, violence, death, mayhem, and chaos will ensue. And what is Electra’s connection with Vincent? Eerily creepier, are the character parallels Vincent and Spike seem to share.
What can I say about the movie? It is amazing. I know hardcore anime fans are repulsed by English dubs, but you know what, it is dubbed no matter what, Japanese or English. Most anime is filmed and then recorded later. I personally prefer the English dubbing because reading subtitles takes me out of the film, and I find them rather distracting. Another thing is that the voice work in this movie is very exceptional as is the series. It’s not all in English, there is a point in the movie where Spike goes to Moroccan Street and all the characters around speak Moroccan with no English subtitles either. I just think that was a nice touch. David Lucas delivers all of Spike’s double entendres and one-liners to perfection. I think Beau Billingslea is great as the grizzled and tough, yet sometimes neurotic Jet. It is almost as if the Bebop crew is the family, and Jet always seemed like the MOTHER of the group. This is shown the most when Jet tries to act unconcerned as to the whereabouts of Spike and Faye, but he deep down he’s really scared and nervous as all hell about them.
Also equally amazing is the movie’s killer jazz heavy music written by Yoko Kanno, and performed by The Seatbelts. (NOTE: The character of Ed, is based on Yoko Kanno) Sadly, no version of “Tank” or “Real Folk Blues”, the respective opening and closing theme songs of the series appear nowhere in this film. However, “What Planet Is This?!” and “Pushing the Sky” are some great substitutes. Look for the first one during the obligatory, but bad ass dog fight with Spike’s signature ship, the Swordfish, and some army fighters. The dog fight itself is reminiscent of the old Robotech/Macross series.
You know, some fans or people will just call this a mere extended episode of the series, but it is so much more than that. There are some deep themes or reality and life that will make you think and wonder, even during the film’s brutal violence and quirky humor. This didn’t feel like an extended episode, this felt like a big epic film, with the perfect animation that is just that much better looking than the series, or maybe it was just watching it on the big screen in a movie theatre. Oh and, I challenge people who see this movie to find all the visual pop-culture cookies, and cameos by some of the recurring characters on the series. However, don’t look for Vicious, he isn’t there, or is he?
The movie was directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, who helmed the series and directed Macross Plus, which you might be able to compare themes and settings with. It was written by Keiko Nobumoto from a story by Hajime Yatate. The running time is about 115 minutes, including the credits, which you will want to stay with all the way through. I hope beyond hope David Lucas record an audio commentary on the DVD just in character as Spike Spiegel the whole time, smoking and talking about how much he kicks ass.
“I’m not going there to die. I’m going there to see if I’m truly alive.”
-Spike Spiegel
Nice work, man. Thanks a lot, and I’m glad COWBOY BEBOP lived up to your expectactions. Jeff’s been driving the AICN chat crazy for the last week or so, counting down the minutes to seeing the film. I’ll admit, though, that I’m pretty curious about it m’self, especially after this report.
"Moriarty" out.
