What Just Happened

I’m going to come over all Tom Ryan* for a minute here and describe in detail a scene from What Just Happened. It’s incidental, so it shouldn’t spoil anything for you.

Robert DeNiro plays a Hollywood producer of some clout who bumps into Stanley Tucci, a Hollywood screenwriter he has worked with before. Tucci takes the opportunity to pitch his shiny new script. It’s a searing story of betrayal and despair, he says, about a florist. DeNiro tells him that “it’s not a movie”. Later, Tucci tells DeNiro that a massive star is attached and DeNiro begins to see that the script has “interesting aspects”. Of all the scenes in this self referential film about the Hollywood film industry, I don’t think this is the one that director Barry Levinson (Wag the Dog, Sleepers) intended to be a metaphor for his film. But it is. I bet you a shiny nickel that the same conversations happened about What Just Happened: Art Linson adapted his own book about being a movie producer in Hollywood and was told “it’s not a movie”. DeNiro came along as an attached star and all of a sudden the script has “interesting aspects”.

All in all it’s not a terribly engaging film – the characters are cliched, the story lacks plot or structure and the direction is on the hackney side (lots of unneccesary hand held camera, overblown music and some pretendy-artsy shots to indicate the passing of time or changing of scene –usually involving traffic). The performances are fine, though and there are some genuinley “interesting aspects” (particularly when self referential about the movie business) but none of the characters are likeable and there’s nothing in this reflection of Hollywood that I haven’t seen before and better (Robert Altman’s The Player is the most obvious).

Written by a producer turned screenwriter and co-produced by an actor who is playing a producer, this is a story about Hollywood producers by Hollywood producers for Hollywood producers. If you aren’t a Hollywood producer, your best bet lies elsewhere.

*Tom Ryan reviews movies for The Age newspaper. He’s conservative and cranky and insists on spoiling movies by describing key scenes in detail and giving away important discoveries. If you have to read his reviews at all, it’s only safe to read about the films you’ve already seen. Or those you have no intention of seeing.

–Jen

This arc is drawn by the talented Andrew Fulton who is currently travelling with Jen across the grand old United States (actually about now he’ll be in Toronto for TCAF). Andrew’s comic Mumblier is sometimes NSFW, sometimes strange but always beautiful and delightful. Jen and I are huge fans of both his comic and his resplendant beard. Sadly he’s not such a great mario cart player but we still love him.

Today is free comic book day. It’s a day when you can pop into your local comic shop and get more than 40 books designed especially for the day FREE! But it’s more than that. It’s an opportunity to discover comics, find your local store. Engage with comics. For the industry it’s about getting new readers. Comic buying is steadily decreasing even though there has never been a better time for comics as far as the quality of the writing and art. So please give titles you’d not usually read a look, if you see a comic a friend’s kid might like pick it up for them, get them reading!

For my part I’ll be supporting FCBD by doing sketches at All Star Comics in Melbourne between 2-3pm along with 17 other great comic creators. Here is the full list. Hope to see you there.

Sawbones began 5 years ago as Sawyer and Bones appeared as background players of a bunnified version of Poe’s the Raven.

Recently I realised that that story wasn’t on the site and went looking for it. Turns out i don’t actually have a copy on any of my computers. Technology moves so fast i’ve been through 4 of them in that time. So I used my moderate google-fu skills and found it online. Apparently nothing dies on the interwebs.

Anyway reading through the story I was struck by two things.

1. Jen’s storytelling was just as delightful 5 years ago. Reading the story with so much water under the bridge was like reading it for the first time and I loved the turns of phrase and way she balanced the horror tone with the comedic twist.

2. There was no way I could bear putting that art up online now. I don’t know a single artist who doesn’t cringe at old work and i’m no different. So over the last few weeks I’ve redrawn the comic. Tightening it up a little and adding a little more mood. I’m sure in another 5 years I’ll hate this too but it’s a start.

I do however want to aknowledge how this started so as this story progesses there’ll be a link at the bottom of the comic where you can look at the original version.

I hope you enjoy this.