Joe Eszterhas Quotes

Hollywood has its own way of telling stories. I was just telling stories that I was familiar with. And it's what I want to do in the future: I want to take my audio cinema and put it on the screen.

A lot of directors, they're creative, but they're different.

I never see a novel as a film while I'm writing it. Mostly because novels and films are so different, and I'm such an internal novelist.

In France, I have lots of opportunities. Maybe now I'll be offered films in America. It's the encounter, with the director and the story that counts.

When I sit down to write, I don't think, 'OK, what is the next David O. Russell film I can write, or what is Harvey Weinstein going to want to buy?' Or even, 'What are filmgoers going to want.' I try to think, tell a good story. Just do what you do.

I really want to do film, but I want to do the right film. The truth for me is that I'm really driven by stories. So there are stories I want to tell, and if it's a good story then I want to do it, whatever genre it is.

My heart is in independent film-making. For me, it's where the fun, gritty storytelling is being told.

'Rocket Science' is really where I fell in love with filmmaking, I think 'Camp' was incredible, but it was so bizarre, and I was trying to find my footing in this world where you don't have an audience for immediate validation.

Going forward, I would love to work with directors like Rian Johnson and Joss Whedon; people like that who are doing big films but do have really independent voices. That's kind of what I want to focus on, is always working with people with at least an independent point of view, even if it's not an independent film.

Since childhood, I'd dreamed of making a film, but producers in France and Germany wanted to make commercial films with chinoiserie. I refused.

I used to be able to pitch them on the basis of the zombie action, and I could hide the message inside that. Now, you can't. The moment you mention the word 'zombie,' it's got to be, 'Hey, Brad Pitt paid $400 million to do that.'

The film-school mantra is that if you don't tell your own stories, nobody will.

'Logan Lucky' is an experiment. The problem that I think needs to be addressed is, what has happened to movies for grown-ups made by people who are still interested in the idea of cinema?

Most of my films have been very character driven.

I still go see films for entertainment, and I love them, but for me as a filmmaker, I really want to have a purpose in telling a story.

We try our best every time to make engaging films that we're interested in, and we just hope the rest of the world likes them.

I was fortunate to write pretty much a year out of film school and start making movies in the Hollywood studio system. But with each progressive film it became more frustrating not being able to speak and say things I wanted to say.

When you're pitching movies, sometimes you know what the idea is, but you fully don't know the dimensions of it.

Feature filmmaking is a very powerful medium. It has a hold on me now.

I have a list of things I want to say through my films and I have started doing that.

You have to be honest about what kind of films you want to make.

Pfft, who wants to make a movie about a guy in a house?

It's not about Hollywood, it's always about a good script for me.

I want to try to make big films that hopefully connect with people.

You cannot live in Los Angeles for any period of time without eventually trying to write a screenplay. It's like a flu bug that you catch ... Even the plumber has a screenplay in his truck.