MovieChat Forums > 8 Million Ways to Die (1986) Discussion > Why movies fail; 1) Poor dialogue

Why movies fail; 1) Poor dialogue

posted 15 years ago by tricksoftrade01
7 replies | jump to latest

Was this movie TOTALLY based on impov? That is what it seemes like to me, I find it hard to believe that they followed a written script. If it was based on improv, this movie shows you the dangers of letting actors have free reign in a scene when they really have nothing to say. The dialogue (or imporv scenes) were so poorly constructed that the writer of the book must have been tearing his hair out. Compare this movie to 'The Maltese Falcon' where every sentence carried meaning, you see what I am getting at.

While the acting was good and the directing competent, the viewer needs good dialogue for a movie of this type to grab you, Eight Million Ways to Die just did not have that.

The thing is, this movie had potential, take away the lame ending and add a good writer to give the actors some tight dialogue making sure they follow the script, add few new action scenes and you might have a winner.

[–] Anscules 15 years ago

ok. just saw this for the first time yesterday, and my main complaint was that almost every scene with andy garcia seems improv'd. two or three of his discussions with jeff bridges seriously go on FOREVER and very little is accomplished, despite both actors spewing dialogue by the pageful.

i didn't have a problem with the film other than this, its wretched "let's capitalize on Miami Vice and instantly date the film" vibe, and the ridiculous screaming match that apparently the producers thought would supply tension near the climax. it was also painfully obvious from the beginning that the silly trolley contraption was going to figure in the final showdown, and it's also one of those movies that has a key extended action scene in a massive warehouse.

OK - the movie was ridiculous. but arquette and bridges make it watchable, and it's also a decent time capsule of mid-80s los angeles. maybe ashby could have done something with it in editing (he was fired after shooting finished). he was a total bad ass in the editing room. i can't imagine the film would be as brutally ham-fisted as it is under his knife. i mean, if you haven't seen it, the editing could be described as leaden.

he IS responisble for andy garcia - who is completely out of control and not in a good way. if i was garcia i'd be utterly ashamed of this film.

ashby, RIP.

"Rampart: Squad 51."

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] lewisherschell 12 years ago

Late reply. Sorry.

I'm just watching an interview with Mark Damon, who produced the film. He says that apparently, Ashby hoodwinked him, accepted the job as the director of the picture and then, when he was on set, threw away the script, preferring to let the actors improvise. I like improv: it can work. But it doesn't here, for the reasons you say.

'What does it matter what you say about people?'
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958).

[–] grampashab 11 years ago

Ashby and all the actors say that he was given two unworkable scripts by different writers and had to make it up as he went along. Ashby was likely not the bad guy here.

Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!

[–] lewisherschell 11 years ago

"Ashby was likely not the bad guy here."

I don't think anybody's the 'bad guy' per se, but I can certainly see Damon's point of view - if a director has been hired to work with a script, however unusable that director may think the script is, and then proceeds to improvise most of the film, it must be infuriating for the producers.

Reading the chapter about the production of 8 MILLION WAYS TO DIE in BEING HAL ASHBY, the whole production sounds like a nightmare for all involved and was probably deeply misguided from the beginning. (The decision to relocate the narrative from New York to LA seems like an underlying problem.)

Still, I wonder how the film would have looked if Ashby had been allowed to supervise the editing.

'What does it matter what you say about people?'
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958).

[–] HowYaLikeDemApplesWill 9 years ago

Scudder (to Sarah): You're Pete Rose around here, aren't you?
Sarah: Who's Pete Rose?
Scudder: Baseball.....he's a playing manager.
Sarah: We handle some of the business, yeah.
Scudder: Besides your own.

That's quality dialogue....

Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?