March 10, 2005

• The Movie That Almost Was

  
  

  I’ve always been a strong writer but I’m lazy… actually, ”energy-conservative” is a better word.  As most writers know, you have to be writing everyday to get the creative juices going — 95% of the time it will be crap but it has to be done to get to that golden 5% nugget. 

  
  

  But I never could bring myself to consistently expend that much energy on a daily schedule.  I always needed a *spark* of inspiration that would send my brain into automatic pilot.  Very much like Neo at the end of ”The Matrix“, all of a sudden I could “see” the beginning, middle and end — and then I could crank out the entire storyline on paper within hours.

  
  

  So here’s how a story idea was almost formulated a few days ago.  I’ll numerically lay out the tangents of my mind that day to make it easier to follow:

  
  

  1) I was powering through this book called “Rebels on the Backlot” by Sharon Waxman.  It details 6 directors that really shook things up in the 90′s and follows them making their signature films – Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction), David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club), David O. Russell (Three Kings), Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich), PT Anderson ( Boogie Nights, Magnolia), Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight, Traffic).

  
  

  The book contains several interesting observations such as that Tarantino’s strength lies in homage as opposed to originating ideas.  Says his former manager, “He pays homage to other people’s work and visions.  He can retool other words, put it into his own pentameter, bring his own voice… and pump a new perspective into it.” — as seen in ”Reservoir Dogs” (homage to Ringo Lam’s “City on Fire“) and in “Kill Bill” (homage to Hong Kong Kung Fu).

  
  

  2) But it was a quote from David Fincher that set off that *spark* in my head.  He was saying that attending H.S. in Oregon was very unchallenging for him; where obtaining a B-plus average was a breeze amongst the laid-back townfolk.  But as Fincher put it, “You’re still the fastest guy at the Special Olympics”. 

  
  

  The line made me chuckle.

  
  

  And then I thought, “Hmm, that would make a great ’taboo’ comedy.  Perhaps a guy who’s a loser at everything he ever does.  Decides to feign some sort of mental/physical disability so that he can take the gold in the Special Olympics — be a winner for once in his life.  But he slowly begins to bond with the participants and ultimately redeems himself at the end by not going through with it and/or actually losing the race due to a last minute injury/disability and leaves with a greater understanding of the essence of the Olympics and it’s participants.”  If the sensitive subject matter was handled right, it could work.  Maybe even as a dark comedy as opposed to a broad one. 

  
  

  So I set out my laptop all ready to draft the outline and brainstorm… Steve Carell (“Bruce Almighty“, “Anchorman“) could be in the main role… I’d have to attend a Special Olympics for research… and of course, I’d have to write a role in for myself…  

  
  

  3) Going online to research where and when the next Special Olympics might be, my eye caught an article in the trades that Tarantino was meeting with New Line to possibly write and direct the next “Friday the 13th“.  Which made me think, “Wow, if anyone could pay homage and breathe new life into the horror/slasher genre — it’d be him.”  Which made me wonder, “Would he use Kane Hodder (Jason in the later ‘Friday’ films) and if so, would he visit the set of my film with Hodder, ‘Hatchet’, next month?”

  
  

  4) So I looked up Hodder on IMDb — see that he’s slated for another horror film, “The Forest Prime Evil“.  “Hmm.  Wonder who’s in that?”  So I clicked on ”The Forest Prime Evil“… 

  
  

  5) To which I saw an actress named Camille Chen was in it.  (I met Camille back in ’97 when I toured though Austin, TX. with the hereandnow theatre company and she was also in “The New Guy” with me.)  So I clicked on Camille to see what she’s been up to…

  
  

  6) Under her filmography, I read she’s in a film called, “The Ringer” that opens April 2005.  “Hmm, what’s that?”  So I click on “The Ringer“ and read the film’s summary… 

  
  

  Two guys decide to rig the Special Olympics to pay off a debt by having one of them, Steve (Johnny Knoxville), pose as a contestant in the games, hoping to dethrone reigning champion, Jimmy. Mentally-challenged high jinks and hilarity surely follow.

  
  

  “Son of a *beep* !”  

  
  

  And I slowly closed my laptop shut for a long winter’s night… 

  • 12:09 pm
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