Public Enemies - What Did You Think?
It seems like everyweel one of the Hollywood studios announces a new board game or toy movie adaptation that pushes the limits on believability. Some nights while I’m writing up news, I wonder if I’m actually a minor character in one of those Hollywood satires that paints Hollywood executives as bumbling idiots, trying to suck onto any idea that might have audience recognition and franchise potential.
I would like to believe that the studio execs are much smarter than these type of films make them out to be. In fact, I know that, for the most part, they are much smarter than that. But every night a new new story hits my screen. Another news story that seems dumber than the one from the previous week, previous month. Stretch Armstrong, Candyland, Monopoly, Battleship, Asteroids, and now a movie based on the Viewmaster?
With only two feature films and one TV show to his name, writer/director Jody Hill, is now synonymous with ignoring the boundaries and “genre rules” of modern comedy and creating anti-heroes that laughably burble with nihilistic rage, scary faux pas and hot-air egos. But there is also an internal depth to these macho doofuses played by Hill’s longtime pal and writing partner, Danny McBride, and comedy star Seth Rogen, to surpass the high art of a perfectly-timed and pronounced “fuck.”
Hill’s work on Observe & Report, The Foot Fist Way, and his cultural breakthrough, HBO’s Eastbound & Down, contains more glass-darkly social commentary and life-lived expression than the work of any hotshot young novelist in recent memory. Rather than document the cold realities and indulgent pleasantries of another big city with bright lights, Hill is set on exploring the very place that so many creative-types vacate upon the arrival of their first Visa card or college acceptance letter: the American South. Moreover, as many middle-class and broke white American males face sobering, if inevitable, realizations and disillusions about the future, laughing at Hill’s moronic, unhinged versions as they champion outdated movie/sports star heroics atop small-town kingdoms is like homemade medicine. When it comes to countering the monotony of the average day-to-day? Eastbound is harder to beat still. The sight of Kenny Powers “dancing” in a middle school gym under the influence of eggrolls and ecstasy or ejecting a topless broad from his Jet Ski is priceless. Like cheetah-spotted gold or “a bulletproof tiger, dude.”
A native of North Carolina, Hill is the latest progeny of the North Carolina School of the Arts, alongside McBride and creative partner Ben Best, fellow EB&D director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express), and EB&D cinematographer Tim Orr. In the first part of my interview, we discuss the show in-depth, including some of the surprising and vile admissions and special features on the Season One DVD. We also talk about what it’s like to be a young director coming from, and staying in, the South, why so many comedians today are from there, and why the region was overdue for a proper comedic depiction.
Hunter Stephenson: Hey Jody, how are you?
Jody Hill: Hey Hunter. Good, good, good. Hey man, I wanted to say that I was sorry I wasn’t there when you visited down in Wilmington [Eastbound & Down set, 2008]. I remember the piece you wrote, and it sounded like a really good time. [laughs] Sucks I couldn’t there, man; I was editing my film (Observe & Report), and Warner Bros. wouldn’t let me go. When you have to do a director’s cut, they want to lock you up for 10 weeks. [laughs] Everybody said they had a blast…and I was editing.
Yeah. I expected to interview you there. And I didn’t know about the change, that David Green was now directing the majority of the episodes while you were in L.A. But it all worked out, he killed it. My first question: Legend has it that when you, Danny [McBride], and Ben [Best] first conceived of Kenny Powers you were sitting in a kiddie pool in North Carolina drinking beers. [laughs] Is that accurate?
Jody Hill: [laughs] Yeah, this was before we made Foot Fist Way or anything. We were trying to come up with ideas for shows. I was between jobs; I had been working this really shit reality show job, doing motion-control for Behind the Music and shit like that. [laughs] It was pretty lame. And so, yeah, we were in Charlotte, in the backyard of Ben Best’s house. And yeah, we were literally sitting in a kiddie pool with a case of beer. And Kenny was one of the ideas that, uh, we came up with. [laughs]
As you know, Let the Right One In was one of our favorite movies of last year. And you might also remember, the Swedish vampire coming of age film is getting an American remake by Cloverfield director Matt Reeves. It has been a while since we’ve written an update on the project, but Reeves’ recent interview with the Los Angeles Times provides us with a reason. Here are a few things we’ve learned:
Paramount Nabs Shane Salerno’s ‘Super Repo Men’ Script
Posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 by Russ Fischer
After the first Transformers reviews started coming in, some speculated that it would be a bad weekend for Paramount. But Revenge of the Fallen did amazing business, and now, according to THR, new Film Group president Adam Goodman has started to buy. First up is an untitled pitch by Shane Salerno, about “super repo men who reclaim high-end jets and boats from rich but delinquent (and often hostile) clientele.” Read More »
Can Michael Bay Be Convinced To Fast Track a Transformers 3?
Posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
After Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’s monstrous 5-day domestic box office take of $201.2 million, Dreamworks/Paramount is going to want to fast track a third film into production and strike while the iron is hot. But will Bay hold up the big giant robots return to the big screen?
Read More »
Lawsuit Won’t Slow Down Spielberg’s Oldboy Remake
Posted on Sunday, June 28th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
When it was first announced that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith were developing an American remake of Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy with the screenwriter of Poseidon, fans freaked out. It was later revealed that the remake wasn’t a remake at all, but an American adaptation of the original Japanese manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, which Park’s film was based on. Even though the book and the movie deviate from one another, fans were still not pleased. A couple weeks back we told you that Japanese publisher Futabasga was suing the Korean film production company Show East over the rights to remake the story in Hollywood. But apparently the project is still proceeding despite the legal battle.
Facebook Movie is An Adaptation of The Accidental Billionaires
Posted on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Yesterday it was revealed that David Fincher is in “advanced talks” with Columbia Pictures to direct The Social Network, the story of the creation of Facebook, as written by Aaron Sorkin. But apparently almost everyone (even the hollywood trade newspapers) failed to realize that the film is actually an adaptation of Ben Mezrich’s upcoming book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal.
Some might recognize Mezrich as the author of the bestselling book Bringing Down the House, which was adapted for the screen under the title 21. And those of you who read the story from yesterday might recall that Kevin Spacey is producing this new Facebook movie with Scott Rudin. Connecting the dots: Spacey produced and starred in 21. Yes, it all makes sense now. A lot more information is available after the jump.
WTF: David Fincher to Direct The Facebook Movie?
Posted on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
We were baffled last Summer when Golden Globe nominated screenwriter/producer Aaron Sorkin had joined Facebook and announced that he was writing a Facebook movie for mega-producer Scott Rudin. Today Variety offers an unbelievable follow-up, filmmaker David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en, Benjamin Button) is in “advanced talks” with Columbia Pictures to direct the film, which has been titled The Social Network.
Kurtzman and Orci Talk About The Future of Star Trek
Posted on Saturday, June 20th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman haven’t yet started writing a Star Trek sequel, but last week we published some quotes from the duo talking about the debate of revisiting an old story/villain, or exploring new territory (something we’ve discussed about in a past video blog) This weekend at the Transformers 2 junket, my good friend Steve from Collider was able to probe them for more speculative details.
Don’t expect series star Neve Campbell to return as Sidney Prescott in Scream 4. Series screenwriter Kevin Williamson, who is developing the script for the first part of a new trilogy, has revealed on twitter that Campbell has turned down an offer to return in the next installment.
Dreamworks Animation Aims For Monsters Inc Meets Casper With Boo U.
Posted on Friday, June 19th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Last month, DreamWorks Animation announced their plans for the next three years. The animation studio was developing three possible projects for the November 12th 2012 release date: Chris Sanders’ caveman comedy The Croods, Andrew Adamson’s adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s Truckers, and a Super Secret Ghost project which asks what ghosts think about humans. Apparently DreamWorks has settled on the ghost film, titled internally Boo U.
Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passamore penned the original draft of the remake of Red Dawn, originally written and directed by John Milius. But Latino Review reports that Tony Gilroy, Bourne writer and writer/director of Michael Clayton and Duplicity, has been brought on to rewrite the script. That report says his draft has already been turned in, and AICN follows up with a note that Ellsworth has already been tasked with tweaking Gilroy’s work. What a wonderful town you are, Hollywood. Read More »
