Please see disclaimer at top of part 1 of this blog series...
SYNCHRONICITY ASIDE:
I started this blog off in an imaginary quest for a Baracuta G9 jacket in beige. The same night, we were looking for a movie to watch and for some reason Seconds popped into my head. I'd never seen it. Guess what Rock Hudson showed up wearing?
SYNCHRONICITY ASIDE:
I started this blog off in an imaginary quest for a Baracuta G9 jacket in beige. The same night, we were looking for a movie to watch and for some reason Seconds popped into my head. I'd never seen it. Guess what Rock Hudson showed up wearing?
And wearing it incredibly well, I might add; the best of anyone who lay claim to the jacket (which he never did). Really interesting movie (one for another blog, def!).
And now...
Back to our story. When last we saw Chris, he was busily sketching Steve McQueen in the throes of passion. We join our pair at breakfast the next morning, in a small booth at the St. Francis Fountain.
And now...
Back to our story. When last we saw Chris, he was busily sketching Steve McQueen in the throes of passion. We join our pair at breakfast the next morning, in a small booth at the St. Francis Fountain.
Another WAITRESS comes to the table. She looks like somebody's grandma.
WAITRESS
What'll yah have fellahs?
STEVE
I'll have a double-stack of flapjacks, a side of bacon, three eggs over easy and a double side of hash-browns...and...toast.
WAITRESS
Where you gonna put all that slim?
STEVE
(LAUGHS) And some more coffee. You can just leave the pot.
WAITRESS
(Turning to Chris)
And you hon?
CHRIS
I'll have the eggs bendict with the side of fruit.
WAITRESS
Alrighty. I'll get that right out to yah.
She leaves. Chris, bleary eyed, takes a sip of coffee.
CHRIS
You're not gonna try to pick her up, are you?
STEVE
Oh, sweetie...you have no idea...
CHRIS
I'm starting to get one.
STEVE
I like your drawings. I'm impressed; because there was stuff flying everywhere!
CHRIS
There sure was.
STEVE
So, what else did you want to ask me about movies?
CHRIS
Okay, well, I think there's something you should know about me--
STEVE
Are you talking about your persecution complex?
CHRIS
Now wait a second. I don't have a persecution complex.
STEVE
Well what would you call it?
CHRIS
I don't know. Maybe "keen observation"? Intuition?
STEVE
Just spill it. You think F1 ripped you off, right?
CHRIS
Well--
STEVE
Just be honest. I've heard about your theories and I'm not disinclined to believe you.
CHRIS
But the more I talk about this, the more and more (drops his voice to a whisper)--insane, I sound...
STEVE
Maybe you are insane. Who wouldn't be nowadays? You've come this far, so why stop? People have probably already made up their minds about you; so why should you give a flying fuck? And then there's the other alternative...
CHRIS
What?
STEVE
That you're absolutely, one hundred-percent right. Right on the money. The scratch. The long green. The pesos, baby. So tell me...
CHRIS
Okay. Here goes; and can I just preface this by saying I really don't want to be saying--
STEVE
Yeah. Whatever. Cut to the chase.
CHRIS
I wrote a screenplay called Heartfight. I published it on my blogs as I was writing it.
STEVE
What's it about?
CHRIS
It's about these two Irish guys named Henry and Paddy who are recruited to play this new sport and they fall in love.
STEVE
What sport?
CHRIS
I made it up. I called it "Lani-Batali" in the script. It's a combination of sky-diving and martial arts--
STEVE
Elaborate.
CHRIS
They have indoor skydiving chambers now, a fairly recent invention and you can essentially go inside it and fly, like Peter Pan. So I had my characters go in and fly and fight too.
STEVE
Is it a real thing?
CHRIS
Not that I'm aware of.
STEVE
So you invented it?
CHRIS
I guess I did.
STEVE
It actually sounds like something that could be a real thing and not just for a movie.
CHRIS
Yeah...I'm starting to think that.
STEVE
Back to the script. I'm guessing you feel F1 jacked some of your ideas?
CHRIS
If I'm being honest, yes.
STEVE
Continue.
CHRIS
It's kind of the same script with the sky-fighting changed to racing and the mano a mano lust taken out.
STEVE
By lust, do you mean like, dudes getting it on?
CHRIS
Yes. And falling in love. Hard. So to speak. But there were some very specific elements that--
STEVE
There always are. And it's always "coincidence." Tell me one.
CHRIS
Well, the biggest one was the "promoter" character; you know, the one who puts everything together.
STEVE
The Big Boss arechetype?
CHRIS
Yeah! Well, in F1 it was Javier Bardem.
STEVE
Who?
CHRIS
He's a huge movie star. International, really. He's Spanish.
STEVE
Don't know him...
CHRIS
Really? Well he's amazing and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who didn't like him.
WAITRESS
What'll yah have fellahs?
STEVE
I'll have a double-stack of flapjacks, a side of bacon, three eggs over easy and a double side of hash-browns...and...toast.
WAITRESS
Where you gonna put all that slim?
STEVE
(LAUGHS) And some more coffee. You can just leave the pot.
WAITRESS
(Turning to Chris)
And you hon?
CHRIS
I'll have the eggs bendict with the side of fruit.
WAITRESS
Alrighty. I'll get that right out to yah.
She leaves. Chris, bleary eyed, takes a sip of coffee.
CHRIS
You're not gonna try to pick her up, are you?
STEVE
Oh, sweetie...you have no idea...
CHRIS
I'm starting to get one.
STEVE
I like your drawings. I'm impressed; because there was stuff flying everywhere!
CHRIS
There sure was.
STEVE
So, what else did you want to ask me about movies?
CHRIS
Okay, well, I think there's something you should know about me--
STEVE
Are you talking about your persecution complex?
CHRIS
Now wait a second. I don't have a persecution complex.
STEVE
Well what would you call it?
CHRIS
I don't know. Maybe "keen observation"? Intuition?
STEVE
Just spill it. You think F1 ripped you off, right?
CHRIS
Well--
STEVE
Just be honest. I've heard about your theories and I'm not disinclined to believe you.
CHRIS
But the more I talk about this, the more and more (drops his voice to a whisper)--insane, I sound...
STEVE
Maybe you are insane. Who wouldn't be nowadays? You've come this far, so why stop? People have probably already made up their minds about you; so why should you give a flying fuck? And then there's the other alternative...
CHRIS
What?
STEVE
That you're absolutely, one hundred-percent right. Right on the money. The scratch. The long green. The pesos, baby. So tell me...
CHRIS
Okay. Here goes; and can I just preface this by saying I really don't want to be saying--
STEVE
Yeah. Whatever. Cut to the chase.
CHRIS
I wrote a screenplay called Heartfight. I published it on my blogs as I was writing it.
STEVE
What's it about?
CHRIS
It's about these two Irish guys named Henry and Paddy who are recruited to play this new sport and they fall in love.
STEVE
What sport?
CHRIS
I made it up. I called it "Lani-Batali" in the script. It's a combination of sky-diving and martial arts--
STEVE
Elaborate.
CHRIS
They have indoor skydiving chambers now, a fairly recent invention and you can essentially go inside it and fly, like Peter Pan. So I had my characters go in and fly and fight too.
STEVE
Is it a real thing?
CHRIS
Not that I'm aware of.
STEVE
So you invented it?
CHRIS
I guess I did.
STEVE
It actually sounds like something that could be a real thing and not just for a movie.
CHRIS
Yeah...I'm starting to think that.
STEVE
Back to the script. I'm guessing you feel F1 jacked some of your ideas?
CHRIS
If I'm being honest, yes.
STEVE
Continue.
CHRIS
It's kind of the same script with the sky-fighting changed to racing and the mano a mano lust taken out.
STEVE
By lust, do you mean like, dudes getting it on?
CHRIS
Yes. And falling in love. Hard. So to speak. But there were some very specific elements that--
STEVE
There always are. And it's always "coincidence." Tell me one.
CHRIS
Well, the biggest one was the "promoter" character; you know, the one who puts everything together.
STEVE
The Big Boss arechetype?
CHRIS
Yeah! Well, in F1 it was Javier Bardem.
STEVE
Who?
CHRIS
He's a huge movie star. International, really. He's Spanish.
STEVE
Don't know him...
CHRIS
Really? Well he's amazing and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who didn't like him.
STEVE
Stock character, sometimes...
CHRIS
Yes; so it's up to the writer to give them details that give them life.
STEVE
For example.
CHRIS
How they run their organization. What it is. Where it is--
STEVE
Explain.
CHRIS
Well, in Heartfight, the Big Boss character is named Roddy Shannon and I was thinking of Idris Elba for the role as I was writing and said as much.
STEVE
I don't know who that is either. I lost track of male leads pretty much after that Cruise guy.
CHRIS
Another racing enthusiast. Anyways, he's British and also another huge international star that everyone loves.
Stock character, sometimes...
CHRIS
Yes; so it's up to the writer to give them details that give them life.
STEVE
For example.
CHRIS
How they run their organization. What it is. Where it is--
STEVE
Explain.
CHRIS
Well, in Heartfight, the Big Boss character is named Roddy Shannon and I was thinking of Idris Elba for the role as I was writing and said as much.
STEVE
I don't know who that is either. I lost track of male leads pretty much after that Cruise guy.
CHRIS
Another racing enthusiast. Anyways, he's British and also another huge international star that everyone loves.
STEVE
Nice suit. Continue.
CHRIS
So, in Heartfight, the Big Boss character is like 1 percenter wealthy and I never really explained it. But the implication was that he had enough money to turn his sports hobbies into realities. He's the "inventor" of the sport in the script. So here's the thing: his headquaters are on "the outskirts" of London; the implication that it's out in the country near all those beautiful English meadows and meandering rivers. Both the character of "Roddy" and the actor I wanted to play him are British.
STEVE
So London would make sense--
They are interrupted by the waitress who comes to the table with their food.
WAITRESS
Eggs benny for you, hon and all the rest for you, skinny-minnie. Enjoy!
She butstles off.
CHRIS
That's a lot of food.
STEVE
What can I say? Pussy makes me hungry!
CHRIS
Yeah...ah, sure...me too...
Nice suit. Continue.
CHRIS
So, in Heartfight, the Big Boss character is like 1 percenter wealthy and I never really explained it. But the implication was that he had enough money to turn his sports hobbies into realities. He's the "inventor" of the sport in the script. So here's the thing: his headquaters are on "the outskirts" of London; the implication that it's out in the country near all those beautiful English meadows and meandering rivers. Both the character of "Roddy" and the actor I wanted to play him are British.
STEVE
So London would make sense--
They are interrupted by the waitress who comes to the table with their food.
WAITRESS
Eggs benny for you, hon and all the rest for you, skinny-minnie. Enjoy!
She butstles off.
CHRIS
That's a lot of food.
STEVE
What can I say? Pussy makes me hungry!
CHRIS
Yeah...ah, sure...me too...
STEVE
I'm what you call "pterodactylly depraved."
CHRIS
I think you mean "polymorphously perverse."
STEVE
That too.
Chris points to a sign on the wall.
CHRIS
"Francis." That's my middle name.
STEVE
My middle name is "Stephen."
CHRIS
Oh, you go by your middle name?
STEVE
Yeah. My first name is Terrence.
CHRIS
Really! My little brother's name is Terence! How do you spell it?
STEVE
T-E-R-R-E-N-C-E.
CHRIS
His is with one "R." My dad's name is "Francis," too. He's an Aries.
STEVE
Me too.
CHRIS
Small world.
STEVE
Yeah. So, more about this Boss character.
CHRIS
I just found it super weird that in F1 the Javier Bardem character had his headquaters out in the British countryside near London.
STEVE
Don't tell me. Near meadows and canals and so on.
CHRIS
Yes! I mean, like why weren't his headquaters in Barcelona or someplace in Spain? I supplied the story with visual ideas too. Like the conference room--
CHRIS
...Brad Pitt's hotel looked almost exactly like pics of an inn I used...
...Brad Pitt's hotel looked almost exactly like pics of an inn I used...
STEVE
I'm hearin' yah bud. But we've gotta get on the road. Places to go! People to see!
CHRIS
Where are we going?
STEVE
To meet some...friends...
CHRIS
In San Rafael?
STEVE
Nope.
CHRIS
Where?
Steve picks up the salt shaker and portentously salts his eggs.
STEVE
The Bonneville Salt Flats...
We CLOSE on the salt as it falls from the shaker in SLOW-MO.
SMASH CUT TO:
EXT. UTAH SALT FLATS -DAY
STATIC SHOT of the white salt expanse disappearing to nowhere beneath a sharp blue sky. We hear the DOPPLER EFFECT of the SOUND of a very powerful engine growing nearer. Another green car, this one a 1968 FORD MUSTANG GT 390 FASTBACK speeds past the CAMERA over the bright white salt flat at top speed. We WHIP PAN to follow the car as it speeds towards the horizon, the SOUND now dissipating. The clear, high-noon sun sends LENS FLARE into a BRIGHT WHITE FADE OUT.
I'm hearin' yah bud. But we've gotta get on the road. Places to go! People to see!
CHRIS
Where are we going?
STEVE
To meet some...friends...
CHRIS
In San Rafael?
STEVE
Nope.
CHRIS
Where?
Steve picks up the salt shaker and portentously salts his eggs.
STEVE
The Bonneville Salt Flats...
We CLOSE on the salt as it falls from the shaker in SLOW-MO.
SMASH CUT TO:
EXT. UTAH SALT FLATS -DAY
STATIC SHOT of the white salt expanse disappearing to nowhere beneath a sharp blue sky. We hear the DOPPLER EFFECT of the SOUND of a very powerful engine growing nearer. Another green car, this one a 1968 FORD MUSTANG GT 390 FASTBACK speeds past the CAMERA over the bright white salt flat at top speed. We WHIP PAN to follow the car as it speeds towards the horizon, the SOUND now dissipating. The clear, high-noon sun sends LENS FLARE into a BRIGHT WHITE FADE OUT.
Please see: Racin' & Rappin': Part 3 for the continuation.
CFR 7/8/25
CFR 7/8/25