Curtis Hanson

Started by Spike, May 27, 2003, 11:04:57 AM

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Spike

So what do you guys think about Curtis Hanson?
In my opinion L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and THE WONDERBOYS were masterpieces. THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, BAD INFLUENCE, BEDROOM WINDOW and 8 MILE were also great!

Spike
"We're gonna celebrate St. Suck-My-Big-Fat-Fucking-Sausage'a!!!"

chainsmoking insomniac

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL!!!!!!!!!!! :-D
Watching it on my laptop in school as we speak actually!!!!!!
"Ernest Hemingway once wrote: 'The world's a fine place, and worth fighting for.'  I agree with the second part."
    --Morgan Freeman, Se7en

"Have you ever fucking seen that...? Ever seen a mistake in nature?  Have you ever seen an animal make a mistake?"
 --Paul Schneider, All the Real Girls

chainsmoking insomniac

And now for the coherent thought.....

He is hands down one of my fave directors.  And that script is just fucking fantastic.  Just a perfect script in my opinion.....
"Ernest Hemingway once wrote: 'The world's a fine place, and worth fighting for.'  I agree with the second part."
    --Morgan Freeman, Se7en

"Have you ever fucking seen that...? Ever seen a mistake in nature?  Have you ever seen an animal make a mistake?"
 --Paul Schneider, All the Real Girls

children with angels

I think he's a good, workmanlike director, and the quality of the films he makes ride squarely on the quality of the scripts. I haven't studied them in-depth, but I can't see a great deal of continuation between the worldviews in his movies - or the visual philosophies. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but as a shameless fan of the idea of auteurs, it means that I could never love him as a director as much as I could those who manage to stamp a little of themesleves into every picture. I love Wonderboys, but it seems to have little to do with 8 Mile, or River Wild, or LA Confidential for that matter. I could be wrong...

Being varied isn't a bad thing - it's interesting. But Ang Lee, for example,  is a recent director who - although he has made movies in very different genres - still manages to keep something of himself in each one (specifically, I think, through the way he shoots nature) - Hanson isn't, I don't believe...
"Should I bring my own chains?"
"We always do..."

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MacGuffin

Curtis Hanson Developing Crimson Petal at Columbia
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Curtis Hanson is in final talks to develop and direct Columbia Pictures' big-screen adaptation of Michael Faber's novel The Crimson Petal and the White for producer Laura Ziskin. The project is being developed as a starring vehicle for Kirsten Dunst, but no deal is in place with the actress.

Set in London during the 1860s, the story centers on a 19-year-old prostitute named Sugar. Her yearning for a better life begins to become a reality when she finds herself the secret mistress of a member of a powerful London family.

No writer has yet come on board to adapt the novel, but a scribe is expected shortly and will work closely with Hanson to develop the script.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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Victor

i agree that a prostitute would be the ideal role for dunst, but the accent and attitude might wind up embarrasing as hell. or maybe i just hate the phrase "starring vehicle".
are you gonna eat with us too?

oakmanc234

Hansen is great. I loooove 'L.A.Confidential'. 'River Wild' is under-rated. He did a better job with '8 Mile' than its simple script deserved. Can't say I'm looking forward to this 'Crimson' film, though.

Anyone notice his cameo in 'Adaptation'? (or is this a dumb question)
'Welcome the Thunderdome, bitch'

godardian

I think he's a good director, but Children is right... the films aren't very personal. I liked River Wild and thoroughly loved L.A. Confidential and Wonder Boys.

Speaking of Wonder Boys, anyone know if that other Chabon book, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, is going to be made into a movie? I heard Scott Rudin (Wonder Boys producer, also The Hours, he digs the literary thing) was producing, but haven't heard a director. MacGuffin?
""Money doesn't come into it. It never has. I do what I do because it's all that I am." - Morrissey

"Lacan stressed more and more in his work the power and organizing principle of the symbolic, understood as the networks, social, cultural, and linguistic, into which a child is born. These precede the birth of a child, which is why Lacan can say that language is there from before the actual moment of birth. It is there in the social structures which are at play in the family and, of course, in the ideals, goals, and histories of the parents. This world of language can hardly be grasped by the newborn and yet it will act on the whole of the child's existence."

Stay informed on protecting your freedom of speech and civil rights.

MacGuffin

Quote from: godardianSpeaking of Wonder Boys, anyone know if that other Chabon book, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, is going to be made into a movie? I heard Scott Ruding (Wonder Boys producer, also The Hours, he digs the literary thing) was producing, but haven't heard a director. MacGuffin?

In an interview with Apple.com, Michael Chabon, who's writing the screenplay for Kavalier & Clay, talked about working with Rudin. "This has been a very positive experience. I'm working with just one person, the producer, Scott Rudin. He's very intelligent and very committed to this book. He's also very demanding, but always in an intelligent and reasonable way."
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Michael Chabon told an audience at one of his readings on his Summerland book tour that Stephen Daldry (The Hours) has replaced Sydney Pollack as director.
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Hot off the anticipated success of THE HOURS, producer Scott Rudin and director Stephen Daldry are set to reteam to adapt Michael Chabon's novel THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY. Chabon, currently writing THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN for Sony, won a Pulitzer Prize for his work on that novel. KAVALIER follows two young Jewish cousins who use their own post-WWII experiences to create comic-books in their bedrooms. Daldry and Rudin are also working on an adaptation of Jonathan Franzen's THE CORRECTIONS, best known for being the book/author who snubbed the Oprah book group. Daldry would begin filming KAVALIER next and CORRECTIONS shortly thereafter. Rudin, who recently left his post on the Jim Carrey LEMONY SNICKET adaptation, would produce both.
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Review of the screenplay here.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

godardian

Oooh... Corrections and Kavalier are two of my favorite books read in recent years... hope they do something respectable with the films, but that they're not TOO "respectable," i.e. a bit more exciting than The Hours. Daldry has yet to convince me.
""Money doesn't come into it. It never has. I do what I do because it's all that I am." - Morrissey

"Lacan stressed more and more in his work the power and organizing principle of the symbolic, understood as the networks, social, cultural, and linguistic, into which a child is born. These precede the birth of a child, which is why Lacan can say that language is there from before the actual moment of birth. It is there in the social structures which are at play in the family and, of course, in the ideals, goals, and histories of the parents. This world of language can hardly be grasped by the newborn and yet it will act on the whole of the child's existence."

Stay informed on protecting your freedom of speech and civil rights.

xerxes

Kavalier and Clay is really an amazing book... can't really imagine how they could pull it off as a movie... but perhaps we shall see.

aclockworkjj

Quote from: punchdrunk23L.A. CONFIDENTIAL!!!!!!!!!!! :-D

Officer Bud White....bad mutha that guy is!  One of my favs as well....

Derek237

I loved Wonder Boys! One of my favs, and it's actually the only Curtis Hanson movie I've seen. I'll look into renting 8 Mile and LA Confidential....

Ernie

Definitely a cool director...Confidential and WB are really really cool. He also did make 8 mile watchable and a better film that it was supposed to be. River Wild is on my Netflix...sounds fun.

sexterossa

i hated LA CONFIDENTIAL. i should have mentioned that in the confessions thread. just because a movie captures a style of a certain era doesn't necessarily mean its good filmmaking. i mean it ended with the most over the top banal shoot out i have ever seen. no one in this movie was likeable or even enjoyable.
I dream of birds and sometimes they land and burst into flames. And I dream my teeth are rotting. And when I am awake, I dream of you.