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Battlefield Earth Screenwriter Accepts Razzie
An anonymous reader writes "The New York Post has a story about J.D. Shapiro, and his gracious acceptance of a Razzie award for writing Battlefield Earth. He first offers an apology to anyone who has seen it, then he offers a funny, outsider's perspective of dealing with Scientologists, and the subsequent mangling of his script for what was once allegedly referred to by John Travolta as 'The Schindler's List of Sci-Fi.'"
Although, John Travolta is never the right guy to be in a scifi film.
Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
If you replace Schindler's List with Killer Tomatoes and SciFi with Propaganda Movies, we can talk.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Slashdot, don't even — you're glib. You don't even know what bad movies are. If you start talking about bad movies, you have to evaluate and read the research papers on how they came up with these screenplays, Slashdot, okay? That's what I've done.
in the same way The Room is my favorite film of all time. I think i enjoy bad movies a lot more than good movies. I also smoke a lot of pot, so that might have something to do with it.
...
You would have taken the money, banged all the hot scientologists you could get your hands on, gotten the fuck out of there, and called it a night. Just like the rest of us ;) (And like this guy, off course)
WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
If we believe his story, then the original screenplay was nothing at all like the finished product. The Scientologists asked him to totally rewrite it, he refused, they fired him and got someone else to rewrite it. So at that point it became a choice between taking his name off the credits or getting paid. I'm honestly not sure what I would have done in that situation.
Are you kidding man? He got to TAKE money AWAY from Scientology!!! How many get that opportunity? Falling on his sword was a no brainer.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
if he wrote a movie based on his experience with The CoS, it'll be one of the funniest comedies ever.
What ? Me, worry ?
Getting blowjobs from barbarino does not sound like my ideal work week.
Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
Getting blowjobs from Barbarella does sound like my ideal work week.
T,FTFY
Because it was the Razzie for the worst movie of the decade, you kinda have to wait for the decade to be over before you do that.
He addressed that too. Unless you were married, you weren't going to have sex with a hot scientologist. And yes, he even tried to use the loophole that it didn't say married to each other.
... my VCR spit out the tape about 5 minutes in, thus saving me from ever seeing any substantial part of the movie and wanting to claw my own eyes out. That VCR no longer works at all, but I keep him around, just to stop by and say "Thanks" every once in a while.
Well, I'd be lying if I said I never wondered what it might be like to violate a Scientologist.
I won't take his apology seriously until he takes it seriously. The Japanese have a ceremony that helps to convey complete sincerity. I suggest he uses it.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
I know a guy who watch six hours of "The Puppy Bowl" while high
Kids, this is why your parents tell you that pot makes you a loser. Just FYI.
What's glib got to do with it?
It solves all sorts of portability problems.
.
What if it comes up in acausal conversation?
You must be a lot of fun at parties, carrying around copies of Battlefield Earth and The Profit just to torture your friends with...
"Sir Nick Knack"? Really? He might as well have gone with Oddjob or Jaws.
Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
Read the whole interview. It's totally worth it. A mans odyssey while trying to get laid at all costs.
I sense a Hollywood pitch...
flawless execution. +1 internets to you sir.
More like the Auschwitz of Sci-Fi.
There, I said it.
Moderators! You mark this informative when it describes an orangutan's ass as purple?! Honestly, what is Slashdot coming to?
Better than "Patty Whack".
Give the dog a bone!
Free Martian Whores!
An even better line from TFA:
I took a few courses, including the Purification Rundown, or Purif. You go to CC every day, take vitamins and go in and out of a sauna so toxins are released from your body. You're supposed to reach an "End Point." I never did, but I was bored so I told them I had a vision of L. Ron. They said, "What did he say?" "Pull my finger," was my response. They said I was done.
Redundancy is good And also good.