Caffeinated Clint
I have a confession to make – I have a buddy ship me in sugar free coffee chews from America. OK, so that’s not the proclamation I expect to get me a soft jab in the ribs – though it is true! – It’s this one – I like the Corey’s.
Ouch. Right in the ribs.
For those under the age of 21 (heck, maybe even under 25 – one of the executive producers on a film I’m doing at the moment asked me for casting ideas for one of the available roles the other day. I mentioned Feldman. He shot back a stare as blank as the back page of that film’s script. Never heard of him. Fool!) I’m referring to the ol’ Lost Boys themselves, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman (they can fight it out between them who gets lead billing in that sentence).
Now I don’t know whether it’s the lads themselves that I’ve enjoyed over the years, or whether it’s the movies that they’ve appeared in… probably a bit of both. Heck, I’m still a fan, even after sitting through “Meatballs 4”, “Fast Getaway 2” and “Step Monster”. Says something.
Is it their energy? Is it their enthusiasm for what they do? Is it the fact that I grew up with these guys?
I guess it’s all of those things – but more so, yeah, it does seem we’ve been following each other around all these years.
Let me explain.
I first discovered Feldman in “The Goonies”, and Haim a couple of years later – opposite Feldman – in “The Lost Boys”. I was never much interested in seeing “The Lost Boys” – I just wasn’t. In fact, the only reason I saw the film is that it was playing in a double feature with “Police Academy 5 : Assignment Miami Beach”. Man, and I thought nothing would top the frenzied antics of Bubba Smith and Michael Winslow.
“The Lost Boys” was – what’s that funky word all the kids say? Oh yeah – the bomb. It still is. It’s a gothic rock-opera caught within the grips of a bloody horrific vagina. You just want to roll in it forever – it’s that good. A comedy? Yeah kinda. A horror film? In parts, yeah! A commercial for an upcoming soundtrack? Fuck Yeah! A good time? Better than sex (well, at twelve years old it was anyway – I was still a couple of years away before the over forties bingo team would chain me to an old electric heater at the back of the KFC and play hide the stuffin in the chickadee). All the planets aligned for this puppy.
I have to admit though the film that the Corey’s won me over with was “License to Drive” – a terribly cheesy but energetic teen comedy about a young highschooler, set for an impending date with Rollergirl (before Mark Wahlberg had his way with her) who fails his drivers test just a few hours before. Rather than fess up to his parents (the terrific Richard Masur and Carol Kane), young Les (Corey Haim) just decides not to tell anyone he failed his test- and takes the car out anyway.
Here’s a refresher :
I was actually working as a cinema usher when this film was released. I remember the very first screening my theater had of the film – because there were lines around the block. You’d think they were giving out free wine and Nike’s with all the pushing and shoving going on. And when the lights went dark and the film’s title card appeared on the screen – there was a screech heard throughout the place higher and more ear-piercing than anything you’d hear at the airport. It was actually…. Infectious.
I loved the film. I thought it was an absolute hoot. And I can’t tell you how many of my friends attended a screening of it and ‘got lucky’ with one of the lasses in the audience afterwards. It obviously left the little ladies hotter than a warmed-up toasted sandwich maker. This was the ultimate teen film of the late 80s – just ask Tiger Beat!
Granted, I never got into “Dream a Little Dream” as much as I’d wanted to – – but years later I rediscovered it and have learnt to appreciate it more. I think the reason I didn’t go gaga for it, the way I did “Licence to Drive”, is because it skewed older. It was a bit deeper. If “Drive” was a vegetarian dish, “Dream” was a much meatier offering.
(I actually had a nice little chat to Meredith Salenger a while back – she was the female lead in “Dream a Little Dream”.)
I first interviewed Feldman about five years ago – I believe it was for the album he was promoting at the time. Nice guy. And had some great stories. We shared, and shared, and shared. And shared ever since.
He’s a damn nice guy – even if he does like to call me a jerk on occasion (Haim’s called him worse, so that’s OK) – and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that’ll say otherwise.
“Feldman was and is a good friend who I think is finally back doing what he should working on mainstream projects”- Chance Corbitt, co-star “The Lost Boys”
Filmmaker Stephen Manuel, currently editing his new film “Lucky Fritz”, tells me that he only had one person in mind for the lead – Mouth from The Goonies. “I wanted somebody who is charming, funny, and also has emotional range and depth. That´s Corey! Am I a fan? You bet! I´m the same age as him and I grew up watching his movies, loving the characters and wanting to be them, so it was great for me to meet and work with him”, Manuel told me on the weekend. “He´s a fantastic actor! Since we shot in germany and we don´t get the two Corey´s TV show hear or the media hype, I was oblivious to all the Corey stories. I only ever heard about them when he showed me some excerpts from the show. So we hired him without any of the Corey “baggage” and wouldn´t have known anything about it if he hadn´t told me. I can only say working with him was a creative and professional joy. He created a very memorable and funny character for our movie.”
A few years back, as most people know, I entered the industry – or as some like to say ‘Joined the Dark Side’ – in a writing and producing capacity. During my travels, I’ve met many a person with a story about Haim and Feldman. I even near came to blows with one producer who totally disagreed with my fanaticism to cast the latter in a role (I ultimately pulled that script from that company, so it was an argument nobody needed to have) – but that’s nothing new. What shitted me though was this person’s sheer arrogance. He claimed, after, mind you, stating that he hadn’t seen Feldman in anything since “The Burbs”, claiming he was a wash-up. I don’t think that’s fair. Yes, they’re older, Yes, they’ve had to invest in a bottle of hair-dye, and Yes, their net worth is a little less than it was in 1987 – but so is Madonna’s, and you still consider her a force to be reckoned with. And probably always will.
I understand the business side of it – the financers want “it-stars”; they want actors they know will get bums on seats. Heck, I do too. But I also want the right people for the roles – and sometimes, a familiar face from yesteryear might just be perfect. I recently cast Eric Stoltz in a film – one executive producer said “No. Can we lose him?”. I said “Fuck No we can’t lose him. Stoltz is one of the best actors of his generation. But more so, he will eat this part alive”. And he will. But more so, Stoltz is on the verge of a major comeback – for starters, he’s headlining what’s bound to be the most-watched show of 2009, “Caprica”. That same EP will be thanking me this time next year for getting Stoltz on board. But that’s just me venting – and I’m sure he won’t mind me mentioning it here on the page, because he’s since admitted to being wrong.
But I digress…. Here’s what I don’t get. If you’ve already got a couple of names in your film (say, the lead is cast), why not fill the other parts with ‘good’ actors who just need a ‘break’ And I’m not talking about an unwaged 22-year-old actor whose been tossing up quitting the gig to hand out the buckets at a porn theater (Though I’ve been known to push for those guys too – if they’re talented). I’m talking about tried-and-true trained actors, with a built-in fan-base and a keenness to act (probably more so than one of the bigger names – who, by the way, you’d have to pay three times as much to do the film AND offer up 10 points on the backend to). I love it that the producers of “Crank 2” have offered Corey Haim a small role in the film. It’s great. That doesn’t hurt the film – not all, in fact, it might even bring a few extra cheeks to the seats (Haim’s still got a dyed-to-the-wool fan-base out there). It’s also another talking point for the film. I see it as a Win-Win.
Haim took out an ad in Variety this year essentially announcing that he’s, er, back. And it’s not a bad idea. I manage a couple of actors and by golly if I didn’t near steal the idea and have my clients front row centre next to Peter Bart’s column. I didn’t. Couldn’t afford it. But Haim could. And it’s a terrific idea. It proved that not only is the guy hungry to work again, but he’s got a good heart.
(I believe my buddy Chris Mulkey – you’ll remember him from “Twin Peaks” – shot a film with Haim a couple of years back, that’s now only just getting a release, called, um, er, um “Urban Groove” – thanks IMDB! – But I don’t think that’s the result of the ad. Chris? Corey?).
Still, Hollywood isn’t fully prepared to reinvest in Haim yet.
Writer/Director Joe Halpin (“Walking Tall 2”), one of the producers on “The Art of War 2″ starring Wesley Snipes, says unfortunately guys like Haim have burnt too many bridges – bridges that can’t be repaired overnight. ‘’The problem with casting actors who have had a rocky past is two-fold. If it’s just a matter of their past track record, a Producer can go with his gut instinct and hope he’s not over-ruled by the studio. On the other hand, if the problems revolve around drugs or other more serious issues, then it becomes a bond issue. If you can’t get a bond then the entire movie and financing are in jeopardy. That’s a much easier decision for everyone involved to make. Remember, some of the actors that the fans feel should get another chance, have in fact been given numerous chances and failed. DMX, Tom Sizemore, and Gary Busey are examples of this.”’
Mike Elliot, who recently directed forgotten actor Jonathan Silverman in the newest “Beethoven” film, says “Corey Haim does not work because his personal problems are known to interfere with his professional deportment”.
Unfortunately everybody saw Haim’s big meltdown on the set of “The Lost Boys” sequel. I’m sure we didn’t see everything – but we saw enough…. Hollywood saw enough. It’s a pity that didn’t work out better, because it could’ve been great for Haim. I know he much loves the original film. I only hope a third film gets up so that he can partake in that one. If not that… then something.
And look, I know a lot of you are gravely disappointed with the straight-to-video (spoken like a true child of the 80s) “Lost Boys” sequel they’ve put out. I’m also aware of the personal attacks director P.J Pesce is copping (He told me. And he doesn’t deserve it. That man had next-to-money to work with, not to mention the inconvenience of having to think on his feet when one of his actors didn’t show up for work). I’ll admit it’s not a masterpiece – but it is what it is. What it’s done though is it’s shown the world that Corey Feldman is still a damn good actor. And again, it shows just how hungry he is to please – because the boy is on fire in that film. He took the role of Edgar Frog and digested it like a frog does a fly. The two became one. I think his performance is great. Just forget about the rest of the movie – and think about Feldman’s turn. Good, right?
This is where I’ll talk about ‘Labels’
Feldman, who now spends just as much time in a recording studio as he does on a sound stage, once told me that people expected his music to suck – mainly because he’s Corey Feldman. “For the most part they love it. People that come see me or hear my music for the first time are generally surprised how good it is — they expect it to suck.”
I’d have no problem slotting either Corey into any of my future productions – and I’ve let my colleagues know that. I’m merely the writer,, or a producer on these projects, and aren’t the one shelling out the biccies so it goes without saying that I’ve lost a few battles, but I’ve won a few battles too – I’ve already (and fuck this makes me sound like Quentin Tarantino’s friggin sock puppet) used 80s faves like Dee Wallace (“E.T”, “Cujo”), Judd Nelson (“New Jack City”, “The Breakfast Club”) and Lisa Wilcox (of “Elm Street” fame). Bob and Harvey wouldn’t even touch them – none of them. And they’re fuckin’ stupid. Any of the abovesaid actors all a lot more capable of giving a better performance, not to mention respecting the production a lot more than say, any prepubescent “High School Musical” star. They were around, as Eric Stoltz recently informed me, before actors had publicists… before it became less about the performance and more about the film’s premiere. It was a different time in the 80s… a time when ‘acting’ meant ‘acting’. I think some casting director’s and money-men need to remember that. And if they forget, I’ll gladly remind them…. As I concurrently walk Lou Diamond Phillips in through the front door of the production office.
I hate labels. I fuckin’ hate them. I hear it all the time “Oh, that horror chick? Nah, she can’t do drama” or “Really? The guy from the TV show? Has he ever done a movie? He can’t do movies!”. My producing partner – who I also manage – is actor Christopher Showerman. He’s the guy that played George in “George of the Jungle 2”. It was his first big role. A huge way to kick off his career. Chris was so damn good in that movie – and he’s the first to admit he got the part merely because he looked a heck of a lot like Brendan Fraser, the original ‘George’ – that ever since, people have found it hard to accept him as anyone other than the swinging Tarzan-like dude of the Jungle. They almost expect him to walk into auditions with a loincloth. The producers of “Superman Returns” were keen on Chris at one stage, but passed on him, mainly because of his association with “George of the Jungle” – they thought audiences wouldn’t be able to see past it. Showerman – thanks to his fuckin’ great manager – has managed to convince audiences he’s capable of playing roles that don’t involve coconut oil and vines (like Pete Nealy on “CSI Miami”, the villainous Derek in “Sea of Fear”, and a redneck kidnapper named Luke in the new flick “Big Game”), but it hasn’t been easy.
‘’The more I get to know Hollywood, the more I believe that it is largely characterized by shortcuts, the easy way, and what worked last time”, Showerman explains. “Hollywood isn’t so much about taking risks, blazing a new path, or invention anymore. With the corporatization of the entertainment industry, entertainment is sold much like toothpaste is now (and by the same parent companies too!) So it’s not so surprising that actors get pigeonholed into very specific types- unthinkable to play outside of those limited definitions. And who’s fault is that? Ours. Yup. The audience is happy to go see Owen Wilson or Jim Carrey in another goofy comedy, but God forbid they make a “Behind Enemy Lines” or “The Number 23″ and we’ll run the movie out of the theater in the first weekend with our vehement neglect.”
Showerman knows playing George of the Jungle has slightly tainted his headshot – but he’s still damn proud he got to play the role. “I have gotten to play an iconic character, George, in George of the Jungle 2 for Disney. Yes, I did get pigeonholed into being seen only as a goofy jungle guy for a while, but NOT by the audiences (as my audience, being generally below the age of 9, is very forgiving of that type of thing) but the casting directors and the industry brass. However, thanks to the courage and vision of independent film makers, I have gotten lots of chances, BECAUSE I headlined a bigger budget studio movie, to play characters that I never would have had a chance to play otherwise. I understand the studio’s argument about why they will only cast you for specific archetypical roles, and frankly, I’m all for it! I mean, where would we be if all the action guys like Stallone started doing all the drama and comedy scripts? And let’s face it, there’s worse things in life than being the “go to guy” for a specific genre.”
Corey Feldman, who seemingly shares a similar view to Showerman’s, told me once that such a label hurt his career – and felt for anyone that’s tagged a teen-star .
“…it’s just not the best climate to be in if you want to be a serious actor. I mean, if I could go back now and change the route I took, I probably would, but at the same time it’s all a learning experience and I don’t think I really regret that much. I’m afraid we’re labeled sometimes and people think we can’t fit any other profile. It’s a bit of a backwards society, I’m afraid. I hope I’m one of the first to kick in the door, and be applauded for my perverse sustainability. Unfortunately, a lot of younger actors don’t get the chances to stick around, so I’m lucky in that respect.”
And he is. The guy is still out there. He’s not going anywhere. He’s not laying down. He’s still sticking it to the man…. Playing to an audience. Power to the guy.
To end of this Jerry Maguire-style mission statement (one which’ll no doubt evoke some of the people I’m working with on films to email me with either “Dude, there’s no way I’m putting Richard Grieco in a movie” or “We’ll have a problem if you want Vanilla Ice to do the soundtrack”) I’d like to present some highlights of sirs Feldman and Haim……. (next week, Corey’s Hart and, er, whatever the dude from ‘The Simpsons’ bares as a surname).
Moviehole Mailbag
Clint, I love Moviehole but man, those X-Files tickets I won from your site took over a fortnight to get here. What’s up with that? – Adam
Adam, My apologizies, but unfortunately, the distributor forgot about us. We only received them that same week. I’m afraid you’ll find it hard to find a theater still screening the movie – here in Melbourne, there’s a couple still screening it, but at god-awful times – so what I’d suggest is laminating the ticket, putting it in a drawer, and then in twenty years time, selling it on ebay.
Clint, any rumblings of a new “Dirty Harry” movie? – Sean
When I was a Warner Bros a few years back I had lunch with a writer who was about to pitch one – in his script, Callahan is called out of retirement to find a copycat killer. And which killer is he ripping off? Why, The Scorpio, of course. I don’t think it’ll ever happen – not enough Eastwood-led “Harry” film anyway. Look for a remake. That’s where I’d be putting my money.
Moviehole, what happened to the ‘’Warriors” remake ? – Dog
Don’t call me Moviehole – I have a name OK, it’s…. Website Guy! The film is still on track for a 2010 release, which means it’ll probably get going sometime next year. Tony Scott is set to direct – and apparently (don’t quote me on this) wants to get some real crips and bloods in there to do the, er, warrior-ing.
Hey guys big update today, We have got 4 exclusive photos from the film “NINJA” directed by Isaac Florentine and starring Scott Adkins. As a total we have added 24 new photos from “Ninja” today to the gallery on the main site. Head to Scott Adkins Site http://www.scottadkinsfanz.co.uk – Nik
Thanks Nik. I was really hoping for 25 new photos from the movie though. Bummer.
Re: Robert Downey Jr interview. The late Poet Edward Smith said of (still living) poet Charles Potts, “Charlie burns his bridges before he comes to them.” – Jack
Jack’s of course referring to our Robert Downey Jr interview in which Tony Stark himself mentioned that The Dark Knight was not for him – if only because it was a little too smart. Look, Downey Jr has a dry sense of humour. He meant nothing by this. Considering he’s the frontrunner to play Wonder Woman in the upcoming movie, I really doubt he’d want to rumble with DC comics.
Hi Clint. Dark Knight Returns would be aweseome. I would cast Dwight Yoakham as the Joker. I like your new site. I’m glad you have gone away from the ” Batman meets Spiderman” type headlines. Only to find out Christain Bale is doing some movie with the lady who played aunt may in spiderman. That was just an example – Mitchell
Check out our story on the news page – it’s under the title “Joker takes on Babe the Pig in Metropolis”. It’s all about Jack Nicholson getting laid in New York last week.
Clint is very right! Everyone deserves the right to share their own opinion without everyone going crazy with hate-filled judgements…or threats for that matter. I hated American Beauty…did’t think Silence of the Lambs was scary…and kept waiting for There’s Something About Mary to get funny. Do people disagree with me? Of course they do and that’s fine. But do they deserve my hate mail? The fact that so many people don’t understand why I loved Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Unbreakable or The Phantom Menace is what makes the world go round! – Mike
What?! You hated Silence of the Lambs and There’s Something About Mary!? – what’s you email address? I need to send you hate mail. (I joke, I joke). No seriously, what is it?
Hey, who told you about Goonies 2, Clint? Only reason I ask is because I wrote a draft about five years ago. And even then they were trying to keep it under the radar. I think it’s one of those properties that they’re looking at doing – but only if they truly love the script. They obviously haven’t found it. They’re wasting a lot of talented screenwriter’s time – [name removed]
Hey [name removed], I’ve since heard from a people who have been directly or indirectly involved in the development of the Goonies sequel – one being Robert Orci, writer of “Transformers” and “Trek”. I can tell you this – I heard about it initially through a writer (who recently worked on another big sequel) who pitched his idea to the company, only to be told that they’ve already got writers on the film. Now as I said, whether that means they’re actually planning to do the film any time soon is anyone’s guessing – but it’s an indication that there is still interest on Warner’s behalf. I did check in with a couple of people I got to know at Warner Bros (when I was developing a flick there in 2006) and they told me as much – that they’ve heard there’s interest, but that’s the extent of it. Dude, just rework your script and sell it as the, er, ‘Grunnies’ or something?
Read about your leg in last week’s column. What happened to it? – Jonas
Rosie O’Donnell happened, that’s what!!
Hey Clint, Love Moviehole. How’s that little girl of yours going? Keeping you busy? Where do you find the time to take care of a baby, produce movies, write for magazines and do all this other stuff you do?
Again, that’s what Coffee is for my friend – I still do Moviehole between the hours of midnight and 3am. My little girl is going well though, thanks – – and here’s a newly-snapped photograph. She’s got the same piggy tails as her dad.
