Diablo's Fear of Failure

Keep it personal, Cody.

Ok, let's talk film. Lakeview Terrace was number one over the weekend. Samuel Jackson playing the bad guy is even money at the box office I would say. But Hollywood can rejoice! The film got terrible reviews and people still went to see it. I didn't. I caught up with Burn After Reading and laughed my tookas off. The best reviewed movie, Ghost Town, suffered from lack of a movie star. People still want to go see movie stars. Ricky Grevais, the star of Ghost Town isn't popular. Sure he is a good actor. But, the studio should really know better. Without a movie star, well, the audience will go see something else with a movie star.

SO I wanted to go see Ghost Town, but I was a week behind, so I saw the Cohen Bros. Film. Though the Box Office is slow. The number one film is still only pulling in 15 million. That's nothing. So even if you're number one, there is still nothing really to be that excited about. Studios I am sure are doing the pogo dance rejoicing that their film is number one, but until you're pulling dark night numbers, there is nothing to get excited about. Nothing.

So Diablo Cody, one of my favorite writers, though she has only one script produced thus far, talks to the LA Times today and reveals a career killing fact. Here's one on talking about her new film, Jennifer's Body, "I did not think this would be my follow-up to 'Juno.' But I don't know if I will ever write [another] highbrow, artsy movie."

Well Diablo, or Brook, as her real name is, Brook, that's what wins awards. A highbrow, artsy film, is basically a personally written script. When I think of her description of Juno as artsy, highbrow, I think of scripts like Ordinary People, Moonstruck, Forrest Gump. They're sure artsy films, but they are what we as an audience member responds to. I know! She is sounding like a Hollywood exec! She is sounding like Paramount Pictures. They canned Vantage so they would not have to do Artsy films anymore. She doesn't want to sell out, yet that train of thinking of NOT doing Artsy films, is selling out because that is the trend of thinking in Hollywood. If she wants to go against the grain she needs to do Artsy films. Don't you see that Brook? Is it that hard to notice your current train of thought is not risky at all. It is current Hollywood exec thinking.

You're an Oscar winning screenwriter now, I think, in my humble opinion, you need to act like one. She thinks being risky is doing offbeat, genre horror films. Well that's current Hollywood ideas Brooke. It's actually not risky at all. Risky is doing an Artsy film. No one right now in Hollywood wants to do Art films. They are a liability. Hollywood wants to do huge dark studio picks (Dark Knight) or cheap audience appealing films that make back chump change in the first day.

Here are two inevitable facts about being a writer. First, you're gonna write personal and artsy eventually anyway. I mean one day every writer wants to get introspective. Cody will want to write another Juno like script. And she should. It is her life. She can't escape who she is. I do not believe she is this offbeat writer. I mean leave the offbeat, sellout writing to Tina Fey. She has smart glasses and snappy one liners. Let her sell out and do frivolous, comedy pieces.

Brook, You're way better than that. You need to write from your gut and leave a pint of blood on those pages. That's what we want! Every writer WANTS and needs to write what they know. So even if Jennifer's Body is a success, you may and will eventually want to go back and re-open up your own floodgates. It's an evolutionary fact.

Second, a writer is always afraid of failure. We always hate what we write. I hate what I am writing right now, but I do it because putting words on paper is wonderful. I love it. I think she is
afraid of failure. It is written all over this LA Times article. Why else would she do what seems to be a throwback film. She can't hide herself and say as she does to the LA Times that she wants to forget her Oscar. I think that is a lie. I think she sees it everyday and wants to repeat that success, but is terrified. And rightfully so. She is afraid of success because in life and especially in Unforgiving Jew Town, it's hard to stay on top. Even Rob Reiner's golden streak ended. Even Speilberg makes a bad film once in a while. The industry is so hard to foster success that I am positive Diablo, my fair Brook, is afraid to fail. And with her pressure who wouldn't be.

So, she is making Jennifer's Body on purpose to seemingly take a huge risk and basically get that fear of failure out of her system. But, it's not risky. Art films are out in Hollywood. If she wants to go against the grain, she would write that auto bio stripper story and tell it from the gut. That is against the grain. Until later, let's talk film!