“Most parts in comedy, they’re not written for men. They’re written for, like, boy-men. So it’s cool to play a man-man. They don’t make adult movies anymore. Go to a multiplex. If Sydney Pollack was around today, he’d be directing episodes of True Blood.”
Chris Rock on the film 2 Days in New York
New York Times Q & A with Dave Itzkoff
August 5, 2012
If you’d like to emulate Sydney Pollack (Out of Africa, Absence of Malice) , Sidney Lumet (The Verdict, 12 Angry Men) , or even Sydney Greenstreet (Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon)—those kinds of “adult movies”— and you’re not an A-list screenwriter or director getting ofters to write or direct movies like Moneyball then small independent films is your haven—or cable TV.
Related Posts:
Writing and Directing “Out of Africa”
Screenwriting Quote #162 (Billy Ray)
Screenwriting from Iowa 
That’s exactly why Pollack was working on “Recount,” a movie for HBO, when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2007. (Jay Roach ended up directing it after Pollack bowed out.)
HBO is cranking out some great stuff. Loved “Grey Gardens,” and thought “Thinking in Pictures” was one of the top films of 2010 (including theatrical releases). Here’s the post I wrote on it: http://wp.me/paP6U-3pw