Friday, May 30, 2008

Jennifer Hudson adds brightness to "Sex and the City"

Ok, let's talk film. It's another movie watching weekend in the hottest movie watching summer I have seen in a long time. I am sitting here with my hour old coffee which today I had to drink with creamer. (I prefer milk, sadly I am out of cow juice today) but that will not stop me in my pursuit of blog excellence! Blogger.com's editor has rated my blog 7.3, a very good by their standards.

But, why not a 9.something? Well, I could be overreaching here. This blog has only been running a few weeks and has yet to earn stature and prestige amoung the blogging community. Well I am here my filmfans! I credulously believe that you will be enlightened by the informatory words I type each day. (at not very fast at that). I hope you are enjoying.

First off, the WANNABEES. All the wannabees will be out in full force tonight. I know! Its unfair to call them WANNABEES, but they call us FANBOYS. And this is not a testament to women. Its a poke to the New York Times and the LA Times. And its a jab to Corina Cochano of the LA times, the critic who would easily calls avid film goers to Star Wars premieres, Fanboys or geeks. They call us names, we call them names. Sounds childish, yes, then again so is film in general. So, we call them WANNABEES. The WANNABEES will be out in full force tonight. Maybe some of them will hook up with the Indiana Jones' Fanboys. It will be a match made in film male and female geek heaven.

Its still a film. A movie. And it is anicipated by a certian demographic, Females 18-55. Its an opening weekend. If the demographic were males 12-45, we would be FANBOYS, TREKKIES, GEEKS, NERDS. So the demographic here is called WANNABEES. I am just trying to be fair. I think this is terribly fair.

So moving on with Michael Patrick King. The KING of Sex and the City. The Executive Producer of Sex and the City. I think he was a writer on the show also. Along with Darren Starr, the autuer of Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place, yes these shows are all connected. Well, he is proving its good to be the KING. Mr. King has singed an exclusive deal with Dreamworks. The deal is for his next screenplay. Its supposed to be some sort of intricate romantic comedy. According to the deal, Dreamworks gets first peak at his script and dibs on that deal. He says that with SATC, the audience is accustomed to complicated storytelling.

All right, here is the thing with that. Hollywood, execs and some writers, think you are dumb. I know GASP! Why do you think they throw crap on the screen all the time? Cause a large majority of people in Hollywood think the audience is stupid. They do. They totally think that. And its comments like this that solidifies my theroy. They think we barley have two brain cells to rub together and we will pay to see anything the CEOs throw at us. And the funny thing is that we prove over and over again to them that we, as a moviegoing audience, will not settle for anything less than well made film. The numbers this last month prove that! Iron Man, great reviews and public response, very high grossing film. Speed Racer, What Happens in Vegas, not so good reviews, bad response, LOW box office numbers. How is that? How is the American people so savvy?

Execs always scratch their heads when a bad film with a big star or a big director crashes. We are a very smart culture. We can smell bad film. We know when you are trying to fool us! You can't get away with it anymore, Robert Iger Disney, CEO and this Beauty of a CEO here, Stacie Snider of Dreamworks. I don't know what Ivy Leauge school she lauded from. But she had this brilliant thing to say, ""(King) writes for audiences that are hungry for real characters and human stories," said DreamWorks Studios co-chair and CEO Stacey Snider.

Like we all aren't! Every single filmfan out there wants that and has wanted that. Ms. Snider?! Look at the top grossing films of all time, Gone With The Wind, Titanic, ET. All these films have real characters and real human stories embedded in them. How can can this woman say this with a straight face like she had her finger on the pulse of Filmfans. She doesn't. She is out of touch. For a CEO of a major studio to say this is downright scary. Scary to the nth degree.

So what do we get in the meantime? While we wait for Mr. Kings brilliant, complex romantic comedy? Garbage? Dreamworks doesn't exactly put out total garbage, well Road Trip, Surviving, Heartbreak kid - all failures. The only great things they do involve a green ogre or Spielberg. So is just trying to say that she just learned that Character and story are important. Maybe. Its scary. It is frightening to me to live in a world where a wonderful creative medium is run by non talented, out of touch people.

Other news, Brett Ratner is signed on to direct Beverly Hills Cop 4. Oh don't act surprized, I have been talking about the 4's for a while. Fours are the new threes. We saw this coming. Brett Ratner is semi talented. He is the mega force behind the Rush Hour series. I don't think he has a particular style. I look at his films like Rush Hour and X Men 3 and all I see are stock camera angles and basic two dementional storytelling. When he Red Dragon, I saw some potential talent.



He is a Spielberg clonie. Steve founded him by admiring Ratner's USC film project. He then hired him to do Rush Hour. Yet Ratner, doens't have any any real style. He's done Family Man, After the Sunset. He is not an artist. He is a by the numbers director. Yet he is a big name and if he is signed to do Beverly Hills Cop 4, so be it. If its good, we will watch it. If its bad, we will NOT go see it. I think the execs at Paramount need to know that. If the film is BAD, we will stay away. Just because its a 4 of a popular series, does not mean we will rush to the theater to watch it.

The film needs to be GOOD with interesting STORY and CHARACTERS, which all of us as audience expect. We expect a great story with great characters right off the bat, in EVERY film we watch. There is not separate "audiences", a minority that only wants good STORY. Ya know, the rest of us are happy with Road Trips and Heartbreak Kids apparently.

Extreme bottom feeding in Hollywood today. Sequel to Donnie Darko called S. Darko. The S standing for Samantha Darko, Donnie's little sister in the first film. Now the bottom feeding here is because Richard Kelly is no where near involved in this film. So you would HAVE to guess that out of the 1000 Donnie Darko seguel scripts floating around out there, this one was the least crappy. And yes, it is total bottom feeding. Because this script was not an original idea. It is born out of a popular film.



With any popular film, there is always a ton of sequel scripts that get written in hopes of getting picked up. Why? Because it is easier to have a script reader open up an Indiana Jones script than an unknown script. Its bottom feeding. Its trite. Its cashing in on someone else's idea. Its Hollywood.

RIP Harvey Corman. Funny, funny, funny. You will be missed!

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117986622.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i07a95797894eac5676b972d924609489
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117986622.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i07a95797894eac5676b972d924609489

Thursday, May 29, 2008

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends..

Ok, let's talk film. Well the Wannabees are all gearing up today, getting ready for tomorrow nights unveiling of the Sex and The City movie and the girl night outs. Wannabee is a term coined to describe the groups of women planning a girls night on the town before or after the movie. These groups of women going out and acting like SATC stars. Yet they are pretending, they are wannabees cause no one can afford that lifestyle. But for one night many women will go out with their friends and be wannabees. Not there is anything wrong with that. It is just a counter name for the trekkie, geek, fanboy, etc names that these women give to fans of Star Wars and Star Trek. We give the name wannabee back to you. Anyway, you can feel the estrogen in the air - wannabee night- tomorrow night. If this was the opening of a Star Wars film, it would be fan boy night. Now it's wannabee night. We're just trying to be fair here. So, for once there will be far more females than males in the theaters on an opening weekend. I say tomorrow night will be a great night for single men to go out, for there will be plenty of women out at bars having Cosmos. Great night to be a single guy.

Sex and the City is set to break box office records. Insider reports many filmgoers have multiple viewings planned for opening weekend. So filmfans! Expect to see this film rise to one of the highest grossing films this summer. I am predicting a cool 130 million opening weekend. Sound crazy? Probably seeing that the biggest opening weekend for an R rated film ever is 91 million for Matrix Reloaded. I believe that SATC can beat that and become the biggest R rated opening ever. In fact it will! Mark my words! I predicted this! 130 million for three days is my very educated, astute guess. So, if you are a wannabee (SATC Fangirl)going to see the film this weekend, you better buy your tickets NOW. This film will be sold out and difficult to see.

Onto other news. Disney CEO Robert Iger is in tears of devastation that his Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian underperformed at the box office. He attributes the lack of success to the fact that the May 16th release date was "too competitive". Lets rewind shall we? The Chronicles of Narnia the first one, did 65 million in its opening weekend of the first week of Dec. 2005. The second weekend the receipts cut in half to 31 mil. Which is to be expected of ANY second opening weekend. Most of all box office reciepts drop 50% after opening weekend, it's very common. Yet, as Christmastime approaches, on the weekend of Dec 23rd it drops to 19 mil. But get this film fans, The first Narnia shoots back up to 31 mil after Christmas. It does another 25 the next weekend. In fact receipts don't die off until the first week of Jan where it still does a respectable 12 mil.



Prince Caspian, does 55 opening weekend then drops to 25 second weekend, then 22 the third. If you adjust the numbers there a little, you will see that it is making about the same amount of money the first one did. So what it Mr. Iger crying about? Well its not going to shoot back up to 31 mil like the First one did. Why? Because there is no Christmas. They ignored their perfect time slot. Mr. Iger got on a very high horse and expected it to do Lord of the Rings numbers of 100 mil opening weekend or more. Well Mr. Iger, there is no evidence to support those numbers! You had a solid run 2005 Christmas. Why would release it during the summer the weekend before Indiana Jones and two weeks before Sex and the City. What the hell were you thinking?

Somebody screwed up big time here. Someone, Mr. Iger screwed the pooch big time. It happened. No one can change it. They can't say, "Hey, maybe we should wait till Christmas, where our audience really is" Especially since its a Christmas film! I can guarantee you jobs are being lost over this.
Mr. Iger does place blame on The Water Horse, the loch ness monster/family movie that came out last Christmas 2007. He says that Disney was taking into account the "feelings" of Walden media's Water Horse and its Prince Caspian, not to mesh the two in a release date and steal business from one to the other. But, since when is Disney concerned with other studios feelings? Never.

Why doesn't Mr. Iger tell us the truth? HE and the ego manic execs saw the film and noticed it was better than the first and they wanted to go up against the big competition. That was it. And they failed. They had a built in market for Christmas time and they failed to return to it out of greed and a want to somehow disrupt the flow of Iron Man and Indiana Jones.
Mr. Iger took Narnia out of its built in Christmas time cradle and made a huge error in judgement.

That weekend Prince Caspian was Number one with only a 55 million. Two weeks before Iron Man made 98 million and a week later Indy 4 made 101 million. So the people are in the theaters, they just all didn't go see Narnia. Why? Because the first film was not that good. Majority of people who saw it didn't like it. That's it. You can't release a sequel to a mediocre film in the middle of two of the biggest blockbusters of the summer and expect it to kick butt. It won't. Especially when there is a built in Christmas audience. Disney screwed itself big. They have no one to blame but themselves.

Moving on!
So the Strangers looks genuinely frightening. It boasts about being a true story, yet I did some research on it and it is not a true story. At least not this version anyway. The names may have been changed to protect the innocent. A lot of films such as the Blair Witch Project say that they are real to make the horror seem more frightening. And for the most part, that does work. Truth is always scarier than fiction. Lets see what the reviews say.

Great piece on the net by Stacie Ponder, the Final Girl, on her blog, Final Girl. She talks about the scary factor when it comes to horror movie masks. Apparently the simpler, the better. I think that the scarecrow mask from Batman Begins was super creepy. Then again so is Cillian Murphy. Final Girl's link is above to the right.


Until tomorrow, let's talk film!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Ok, let's talk film. Franchise evny everywhere you look in Hollywood today. Execs on the phone all day saying "my franchise is bigger than your franchise". Those execs with small franchises like Saw or Fantastic Four are running out and buying SUVs, raising their trucks to compensate for their small sequels. Execs at Paramount, mediators of the Indy and Star Trek franchise, running around in circles with joy, buying smaller foreign cars to show off their largeness. Why is this? Well it seems that everyone is looking solely at bringing back the old in full force.


Reboot me! I am older and hip like Ford and Stallone!

I know, many of you are saying that Hollywood is like one giant YARD SALE anyway. And, you're right. One decade's garbage is another's treasure. With the FOURS being released and doing well, there is now a looking back to see what other FOURS we can bring back. Die Hard FOUR, INDY FOUR, RAMBO FOUR, all have proved themselves to the critics and to fans. So now, here we go, we are entering the world of life beyond Trilogies. Remember when sequels would stop at THREE? Well in Hollywood, FOUR is the new three. Do we as an audience, need more of dead trilogies? Depends on the trilogy. But for the most part, no. We as an audience would like NEW ORIGINAL movies.

Mask. Reboot and Franchise. Now!

NEW and ORIGINAL ideas do not exist in Hollywood. Its too risky. Yes they do fun original ideas depending on the director. Paul Thomas Anderson, Coen Brothers, Jason Reitman and others all got to do great original work last year because of their name. But if you think that if Francis Ford Coppola were unknown and wanted to do a film called the Godfather, his ideas would get shot down instantly. Why do you think the studios invented Paramount Vantage, Warner Independent...Original ideas get released under the subsidiary name of VANTAGE or INDEPENDENT so that studios don't have to take full responsibility for original ideas. Why? That's really easy t answer.

Original ideas are risky in Hollywood. So we have alternative releasing to just to justify making original film. Yes, original film needs to be JUSTIFIED in Hollywood. The justification is attached to a big name director or actor and released under a different part of the studio.

The films that get released under the MAIN name of the studio are all films with built in audiences. In order to even greenlight a project, you must have a strong built in audience. Hollywood knows this. They go through projections and focus groups months before a project is greenlighted. The film that you see, has been already run through focus groups many times. Are these focus groups like the creative meetings at PIXAR? No, these focus groups are targeted demographic audiences who simple give a thumbs up or down to the material they are presented with whether it be a finished work on screen or someone reading an idea to them. And these focus groups are not creative people, they are people pulled in from the mall or gas station. People like you and me who have no practical application in Hollywood.

So you ask yourself, how do non film people have a say in what films we watch? Justification. Execs need to Justify. Creative people as focus groups would have other ideas to the ideas presented to them. Hollywood doesn't want to do that. If they present material to other filmmakers like PIXAR does, they may have to work harder to change ideas and people could lose jobs for you would easily weed out the non creative people. They would be the ones in a creative meeting silent.

So non creative people passing ideas in Hollywood use focus groups, they put the results on paper and show them to higher execs and say, "you may not think this is funny or good, but 100 people in the targeted demographic think this is great". And it gets greenlighted. All that time and effort to greenlight a fart joke. And this happens everyday my Filmfans. Everyday. Wonder why PIXAR has strings of good film? They use very creative people to bounce around ideas. They do not use focus groups.
So where are we going from here?
Well talks are in play for Harrison Ford to star in more Jack Ryan movies. According to Beyond Hollywood, SINCE Ford has proven himself with INDY, they want him to "REBOOT" the Jack Ryan series. ONCE AGAIN, Hollywood misses the point. Spielberg is the real star of INDY 4. Ford is great, but he was along for Spielberg's ride in that film.

Moreover, MGM is considering more Rocky sequels. DEAD COW. Let it die!
Well if you are an original screenwriter reading this, close your laptop and forget it! Original ideas are so dead in Hollywood. And if you do get Greenlit, which I am sure you deserve and are talented enough to do so. I have faith in you! I really do! But you may be writing independent film even when you get released by a major studio. New ideas are independent. Crazy huh?


"I hope Michael Bay knows I am going to shove that Bullhorn up his Optimus."

Rainn Wilson, the creepy guy from The Office and the very funny cashier from Juno is appearing in . .Transformers 2. I am a big fan of this actor and I look forward to seeing him in more films. Yet remains to be seen if he can carry a film on his own, but as a character actor, he's great.

Trailers are up for Step Brothers here. How upset do you think Will Farrell is to know that Steve Carrell is so much funnier than he is. Steve has the better presence and comic stamina that Farrell. Farrell has proven himself a one note wonder with his ability to only throw tantrums in his films. Carrell is the far better actor with his versatility and range. He was in Little Miss Sunshine doing good dramatic acting.



Farrell's Stranger than Fiction was good also, but Steve seems to have better chops. And what is going on with John C. Riley? Talk about a great dramatic actor doing all comedy now. I think that is cool, but I'd like to see John Riley do a drama. I guess he must be having a lot of fun with Farrell. Who wouldn't?



And news for all the WANNABEES that are hitting the streets this weekend to pretend like they are the Sex and the City girls, the new trailer for He's Just Not That Into You is up and running also. Talk about an all star cast! Drew Barrymore, Ben Affeck, Jennifer Aniston. Justin Long, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johannasen. If it's good, it will be a new generation of crown pleasing romantic comedy, if it sucks it will be a disaster movie with an all star cast. hehe
Until Tomorrow, let's talk film!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008





Ok, let's talk film. Very sad news over the weekend, Sydney Pollack, a very accomplished actor and director has passed at age 73 from cancer. I didn't even know he was sick. This is a man who you didn't know was a legend. He never tooted his own trumpet. IMDB has all of his work listed and it really is an amazing list. "Tootsie" is a really good film. It is the last of the crowd pleasing romantic comedies. Romantic Comedies are extremely watered down compared to the ones of the 80's, but that's another blog. Mr. Pollack directed "Out of Africa" and "Absence of Malice" both very engaging films. If you have not seen any of these, please put them on your Netflix. He was a great actor also. I will remember him most from Michael Clayton's boss from last year's George Clooney film. He was very believable as a a strict boss in a crazy busy law firm. I highly recommend that film if you have not seen it. It hailed as one of my favorites from last year. I have seen it five times, it is that good.
George Clooney himself had something to say about the his death. Clooney called him "a class act". I am sure he was, but it looks like Clooney pulled that from a Hallmark card. Got nothing to say personal to all of us? We would prefer that George, he only was your friend and probable mentor. You're a writer George, say something personal.
Well we are not here to critique George Clooney, we are here to talk film. I don't know how to segway from talking about a death to anything else, so I am just gonna go for it. Our best to Mr. Pollack's family. His film will live forever.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull raked in 151 million over the Memorial Day weekend. Sounds like a lot. Actually it wasn't as much as Spider Man 3 last year with 151 in a four day take. There are seven or eight films ahead of it in the all time year list according to box office mojo, baby. I just hope its enough to justify a sequel for Indiana Jones. As I have said before, I will always be a bigger Indiana Jones fan than a Star Wars fan. So I am really hoping for a sequel. Yet, I don't think it matters if Indy 4 made a billion dollars over the weekend and if there was a large lobby in Hollywood to beg for more. Lucas and Spielberg do whatever they want without studio pressure. If Lucas was Sony pictures, we would have Star Wars 7, 8, and 9. Yet, Lucas is not Sony, he is talented and does not need more Indiana Jones to improve his retirement. The irony of Sony execs and Lucas. Sony needs Spider Man sequels more than we do and we need Star Wars sequels way more than Lucas does. We don't need another Episode One, but we need another Episode Three that's for sure.
Any serious filmgoer or serious actor would not be caught dead watching the MTV Movie awards. They are about as interesting as film with Paris Hilton. However, this year may be a year to take a gander at them. Yes I did say that. Reason? MTV has asked big name actors, well Jack Black, Ben Stiller etc...Big name actors if you watch only MTV, to make their own short films for the awards ceremony. If you are familiar with the parodies that accompany the fluffed ceremony that is "so cool", you would notice that many parodies that they do of films are actually funny.

Some. The Fellowship of the Ring parody is included in PJ's extended cut as an Easter Egg. So this years inclusion of "independent" parodies, actor style, may be fun to watch
Or to wait and watch on youtube.
Early inside speculation had Patrick Figit replacing Tobey Maguire for the new Spider Man films. Mr. Figit is scrawny, but in no way as good as an actor. I hear the desperate screams of execs echoing in Hollywood. I am foreseeing that putting together more Spider Man films would be as difficult as resurrecting Sharon Stone's career. Hey, Execs! Maybe she can be the new Spider Man and Carrot Top can be the new Mary Jane. I smell box office success!!!
If you need to laugh more, who doesn't her is Mad Magazine's parody of a letter by Lucas to Spielberg. It is very silly and very funny. If you are into that humor, please click on the pic.

Until tomorrow, let's talk film!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Ok, let's talk film. Happily Memorial Day to all. This will be a shorter than usual blog due to the Holiday today. News on the Hobbit. Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy) Will be directing as you well know by now. Well Peter Jackson and Del Toro, took time out from thier Hobbit pedicures to answer 20 questions from fans. If you wanted to know a lot about the hobbit, but were afraid to ask, read all about it.

Something that gets me excited, the new trailer for Jon Avnet's Righteous Kill is online at Apple Trailers. The cool thing about this film is that it stars Robert de Niro and Al Pacino. I know that both have picked substandard roles in the past after their iconic roles, but should we give them our respect and trust anyway? I am. The script is by the writer of Inisde Man, the Spike Lee, un Spike Lee movie that was really good and not filled with Spike infusion of racial politics. Not that there is anything worng with that. He is an amazing voice for African-American people in film, yet it was nice to see him to a taught thriller. ANYWAY, that writer's name is Russell Gewirtz, and this film looks really good.

I am excited to see Al and Bobby on the same screen again since Heat. They were not even on the same screen in Heat. Every shot was an over the shoulder shot of each of them. Rumors have always speculated that those scenes with them "together" were shot separately with body doubles. They are not any shots in the film with the two visibly on screen. In this trailer they are visible together and it looks good. Let the impersonations begin! "Ohh ahh! ohh Ahh!" "Just when I get out they pull me back in!" On this quiet, traffic filled Memorial Day here are some of the best war movies ever. I don't believe in lists, cause everyone's taste is different. I believe lists are a tad arrogant, yes I did say arrogant and I am NOT doing it. Shocking I know. I am not ALWAYS ego filled. Until tomorrow, Let's talk film!





Friday, May 23, 2008


Ok, let's talk film. News on the Terminator front. The synopsis of Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins is now available to read. It's linked below, so read it if you please but note that it is difficult for me to understand because the Terminator series has bounced around time so much that it really is hard to keep track. I am quite sure that it is even hard for the writers to keep track about what everything is because the Terminator's notion of time travel has become convoluted through the three films. Don't believe me? Well, then feel free to prove me wrong, but I doubt anyone can tell me the whole three film span of the Terminator without stopping and backing up just a bit.
In short, the Terminator was send back in time to kill (bad Arnold Improv) SARAH CONNOR. But then two or three more Terminators were sent to kill her son years later. The future changed about three times in the films. I am for certain not bagging on these films at all. They are good films. Though today we will talk about the nature of doing a time travel movie, what works and what does not. I thought about this to some degree a while ago when Deja Vu hit the screens last year. To my knowledge of film, that is the only time travel film that is in the vast ball park of getting the theory of time travel right.


Which first brings us to the theory of time travel. Does it exist? There are different methods of real time time travel, if it does exist, in real life scenarios. Fascinatingly none of them contain a DeLorean. Not that there is anything wrong with that, Back to the Future is a great film, heck a bunches, they are all great films, but the idea of time travel has really yet to be explored to its fullest in Hollywood. I know. I know. "But, Jeff, Jeff! There have been so MANY time travel movies!" Actually no there hasn't. Below is the list of the biggest movies with the genre time travel:

Terminator
Addendum to Terminator
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Back To The Future
Back To The Future II
Back To The Future III
Millennium
Star Trek Introduction
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: First Contact
12 Monkeys
Addendum to 12 Monkeys
Flight Of The Navigator
Army of Darkness
Lost In Space
Peggy Sue Got Married
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Frequency
Planet of the Apes
Kate and Leopold
Somewhere In Time
The Time Machine
Minority Report
Happy Accidents
The Final Countdown
Donnie Darko
Harry Potter and
the Prisoner of Azkaban
Deja Vu

If you look closely at this list, its a short list. More that half of these movie have time travel scenes but are not full blown time travel movies. So why has not Hollywood taken advantage of this short list? Easy to explain. It takes A LOT of hard work to NUMBER ONE sell such and idea NUMBER TWO to write an original idea that doesn't involve a DeLorean or a stationary time machine with revolving gears and ratchets. I looked up the number of VAMPIRE films made and it lists to over 200. So it seems Vampires are easy, time travel is hard.

So the remainder of this article will be for the writers out there, I want to tell them what it takes to write a good time travel story. Deja Vu was a good time travel story because it focused on the elements of real time travel. The only real way to travel through time is using a worm hole. If you have ever seen Contact with Jodie Foster, you will see the science of wormholes and time travel done very scientifically. Deja Vu with Denzel Washington is also done scientifically and tries to be entertaining, yet it is a drama.

So there is a loophole here. If a writer (you) can take that idea of wormhole time travel and make it fun and engaging, I think you could have yourself, a good sellable script. Vampire free. Below I have linked an article on time travel theory relating to film. Yes you can use other means of time travel to make a time travel story interesting, but why not go the scientific route with a fun story. Its a good idea says me.

David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button's trailer is out now and I must say it looks really cool. It stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett and is about a man that ages backwards. It sounds like a flawed non interesting idea, though the trailer shows it as a character study along the lines of Forrest Gump. The curious thing about the film is he still starts out as a baby, but a really old baby. It looks really creepy. I just thank God its not like Mork and Mindy where Johnathan Winters was a cry baby old man. At least here it seems biologically believable.

Marvel studios is saying that all its future comic book movies will be rated PG-13 across the board. I guess they want to keep all the teens able to buy a ticket. I think it may be a wise idea. Sometimes the rating prohibits a film from making more money by cutting out a large movie going demographic like the teen audience. Harold and Kumar 2 underperformed at the box office because it was rated R on a weekend where a lot of teens went to the box office. So it is a very good idea to tone some films down in order to perform better at the cinema. Especially when DVD is a platform to UNRATED films anyway. A PG-13 film release and a uncensored DVD is great way to cash in twice. I think that is what Marvel may be looking at. That is what Harold and Kumar missed the boat on. Too bad for them.

So my weekend recommendations for this Rainy Memorial Day Weekend is go see Indiana Jones. It is such a wonderful film. I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved it. It was sooooo good and felt like seeing a old friend after years. I can't say you will love it, but I loved loved it. Also on video is National Treasure 2. See that. That is good also. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend and until Monday, let's talk film!

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1197277-terminator_salvation_the_future_begins/news/1730171/
http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_ezine&task=read&page=1&category=1&article=4936
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=45392
http://www.mjyoung.net/time/index.htm

Thursday, May 22, 2008



Ok, let's talk film. Today we are going to talk about the future of cinema visually. The future as you can see in the image above is 3D. Now to explain why cinema will in less than one year be in a 3D frenzy. Yes I did say frenzy. It seems that everything will be 3D infused in the movie watching years to come. Technologically, film making must stay on the cutting edge visually to get the audience excited about going to the theater. I know what you're saying, "But Jeff, you tell us that story and characters get us to go to the theater". That is true FilmFans, yet it is nice to add a visual spectacle that is unique to only movie theaters.

Large LCD screens and enveloping surround systems can replicate the movie experience to a certain degree. As I said yesterday, nothing will replicate a large theater, however, it is hard to argue that today's electronic toys like Blue Ray and LCD can equate the experience to a certain arguable comparable degree. So, how do film makers persuade a tech savvy individual to get excited about going to the theater to see something they can't get at home? Well for now 3D is the answer.

If you have ever watched Gone With the Wind in a movie theater or any movie in that era or before, you would notice that the projected film is square like a TV is now. Back then in the 30's film makers had to come up with something else to draw in viewers. They came up with Academy Flat format which changed the aspect ratio of TV sized film screens to the current WIDESCREEN format you see on your widescreen TV. Yes there is another widescreen format that is even wider, that is called anamorphic widescreen. That is just another option for film makers to use and the most widely used now, however in those days academy flat widescreen was the answer to change.
Now after years of widescreen saturating our homes, film makers have to come up with another way of challenging us to spend 10.50 and not wait for Blu-Ray. The answer they have come up with is 3D film. Leading the charge on 3D film is James Cameron, the acclaimed director of Piranha II the Spawning. He is working on this clever film called Avatar which will place 3D back into all film. How is it going to put 3D back into a lot of films? Well remember Film Fans, Hollywood conveniently forgets what makes film great. I can guarantee that they will forget that James Cameron spent 4 years writing a rich character driven script. They will invariably only focus on the 3D aspect, remember they are execs! So they will see that 3D sells and rush a bunch of 3D films to the market- most of them half assed. We know this is true from Hollywood history.

Dreamworks has already committed all its animated fare to be made in 3D. Disney is catching on also. Quick aside, I remember that Disney fired John Lasseter of Pixar, the man behind CARS and TOY STORY because he wanted to do films in 3D a decade ago. Disney fires Lasseter, yet keeps Eisner, another concrete proof of the narrow mindedness of execs. Its rampant in Hollywood.
Yes there was an influx of 3D films in the 50's but the technology was too expensive at the time to keep up. Now the technology is perfected and ready to take over a lot films in the future.


Final Destination 4 is taking the dip into 3D as we speak. (you see I do know what I am talking about) Now normally I would be very critical of milking the cow in this series, but I do like this trite series. The Final Destination movies are in a way clever films that twist the genre of the slasher film into true suspense if a sequence is done well. Final Destination 2 was alright in that it has gory horror and suspense in that as an audience we waited for the knife to go in literally in a clever way. Number 3 was ok, Mary Elizabeth Winstead was the only gift from that film. So we look forward to the first horror 3D film next year.

The LA times has a great article on Mel Brooks and his involvement with the original Get Smart series and his lack of involvement with the new film. I found it refreshing that he is a guy that makes films with zero ego. When asked about comedy in his films, "My job is to go out and entertain the most people possible. The job is to make people laugh. I don't have a mission. I don't have a torch to burn". That is refreshing to hear from a man who could have a Michael Bay spoiled child ego and yet, does not. Mel is a great entertainer and I have ALWAYS said that The Producers is his best film. ALWAYS said that. Even before the Broadway storm with it. Gene Wilder is HILARIOUS as the guy, can't think of his name. I like that film like Kelli likes the Goodbye Girl. Well maybe not that much, but you know. Until Tomorrow, let's talk film!

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/080520-140802
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-brooks20-2008may20,0,4126646.story?page=2
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/indiana_jones_countdown/news/1729814/
http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=6070

Wednesday, May 21, 2008




Ok, let's talk film. Tonight at midnight the new Indiana Jones film screens across the country for public viewing. Seeing the midnight show with all the fans, everyone screaming as the old Paramount sign morphs into whatever it morphs into, something resembling a mountain is a total delight. It has been a pleasure to live in a time when not only did I go to the theater to see all the originals on the big screen, but I am also get to see the sequels on the big screen. Which reminds me (taps playing), it is time to remind ourselves of the great loss of Cinedome Theatres in Orange, Ca. Now the Cinedome theaters were around in the 70's.

They were torn down in the mid 90's to make room for some corporation to further resuscitate middle management for some bleak business. Yet, while these magnificent theaters lasted they housed all of the ripe, anticipated film in Orange County, Ca. Nowadays, there are four or five multiplexes in the area that do the job of the old Cinedome, so its importance was demonised when newer theaters were built.

I am going to talk about a few things here in reference to watching movies in a theater. First off, the only way to see a film is in a theater. Period. I know what a lot of people say, "I'd rather watch a movie at home! There is no difference". Well, my Filmfans! There is a huge difference. Lets look at the large whole left in film watching made by the loss of the Orange Cinedome. The Cinedome was a large, domed theater, It provided curved screens.

I could describe what it was like, however I need to quote the article by Bill Kallay. He is much more poetic than I am. "The layout of the domes, much like a curved amphitheater, was spacious and luxurious. Plush curtains and entry music greeted movie goers, at least until slide shows took over the pre-movie screen. Though the Cindedome wasn't perfect, it was a theater one remembered even if the film was bad. The floors in the domes were hollow, so walking on them was like walking on a wooden box. Going to the bathrooms was always an interesting experience.Few theaters I've encountered allowed me to do my business and still hear the loud movie soundtrack in the dome above me. And Cinedome prided itself on pre-popped popcorn.But Cinedome was a modern movie palace. Sitting in the domes, one was always comfortable due the rocking chairs the theater had. The dome's ceiling seemed like it went on into infinity. And the presentation Cinedome was a treat. Even on 35mm stereo releases, the theater would always rock. But it was on 70mm presentation that Cinedome was legend.




In "Raiders of the Lost Ark", the boulder rumbled over your head. In "Ghostbusters", Slimer floated through your chest and back into the large surround speaker behind you. In "True Lies", you felt the bullet casings falling on the bathroom floor in Arnold's in-famous fight."

Yes, filmfans that is what it was like. Seeing a film on the big screen, projected from plastic film is experiencing a story, while watching a film on TV is just that, watchin a movie. I had the pleasure of seeing Braveheart on the Big Screen last year in Cerritos and let me tell you, it was breathtaking. I was fully wrapped in the story of William Wallace and for once I was not just waiting for the battle scenes to come on.

Seeing a good film in a theater is to experience. I saw Raiders for the first time in 1981 at Cinedome and I attribute that experience to Raiders being my Favorite film of all time. The experience of seeing the first Indiana Jones while having your socks rattled off your feet by the sound and having your eyes bulge at the melting faces-in your face- was unreal. And I was only 8 years old. I could honestly give you a million reasons why it will unarguably be better to watch film on film, but it all boils down to the actual experience. Nothing, no amount of home equipment, will compare. So enjoy seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on the big screen. I now recommend the Irvine Spectrum for this experience, but most theaters are ok nowadays.

It's gonna be a great time. This film will NOT be the greatest film ever. Do not go in with higher than life expectations. This is an adventure film that was made to provide fun fun entertainment. That's it. That's why also Raiders is my favorite film, because it does what few films do now, it has fun and entertains without ego. Please filmfans, use this weekend to remember why we go to movies in the first place, to be entertained.

On film news, Christian Bale has signed on to do three terminator films. I am in too good of a mood to bag on my dead cow theroies, but yes this is a dead cow. And the execs are all thinking that Christian Bale can do for Terminator what he did for Batman. OF COURSE they conveniently forget that Christopher Nolan and Co. had more to do with that than Bale. But, execs have the brain power of a single cell battery. So my note to the execs, it is STORY and DIRECTION as well as actors that make a great film. Bale will be a great face to see, but without great direction, it won't matter.

Though in the article it does say that they are looking at the script from a "fan" point of view. That is good news, but I would like to see a writer look at it artistically. Have fun with it. Fall in love with it. Don't only think like us. That's how we got Snakes on a Plane, from a bunch of execs TRYING to think like us.

Until Tomorrow! Live life like a rock star parties! And lets' talk film!
http://www.in70mm.com/newsletter/2000/62/cinedom/index.htm
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20080520/121134355100.html
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117986200.html?categoryId=1970&cs=1&query=hobbit
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7411013.stm

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Ok, let's talk film. So, the New York Times today says that Sex and The City is the most anticipated film of the summer-to women. I told everyone that a year ago. And...The article says that the opening is infusing a algorithmic planning of "girls night outs" all over the country. Some women are going to the extent of flying to New York and seeing the SATC hot spots before a screening of the film. So, the New York times state that women will see this film in groups. Well, my filmgoers, I wrote that about two days ago. And yet again I am reminded by an ex girlfriend to be mindful of my humility.

SO what if I mentioned it two days ago. That's not the point. Multiple girls night outs to see this estrogenic film could and probably will project SATC to number one for the summer. The thing that is curious to me is how the Times can label "nerd-friendly fantasies like the "Star Wars" series, or long-running screenings of cult films like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show'" and not label the anticipating females of SATC? New York times calls Star Wars followers "fan boys". I beg the question, why is Star Wars labeled nerdy? I mean if you look at this from a moral stance, Star Wars characters don't spread disease like the women of SATC. They don't condone cheating on husbands, affairs and impulsive sex. It is a unique generation that the New York times paints when Star Wars fans are promoted as "nerdy" and SATC fans are labeled simply as women. Not all women are promiscuous. So, should all Star Wars' fans be labeled as Men? No, because not all men like Star Wars. So, if the New York times had said three years ago of the premiere of Revenge of the Sith that MEN can't wait to see that film, that would be incredibly inaccurate.
Without those nifty New York times polls you could say that not all women watch SATC. So could we in fact label these women who are eagerly anticipating the return of Carrie Bradshaw nerdy? I don't think these fans would appreciate that label, but what else to call them? Sex Heads? Sex Nerds?
Well lets look at the lifestyle of SATC. They have lavish lifestyles, expensive apartments, high paying jobs, always in expensive clothing, and always having cosmos in different restaurants. Real women in fact cannot attain this lifestyle unless they are independently wealthy. So the girls night outs that are accompanying this film are methods to duplicate this lifestyle for only one night. Women who watch this show want this lifestyle and yet it is realistically unattainable. So, I think I will call these women "wannabees". They want to be like these four women, but can't. I have even personally seen some women at bars, when I used to drink, try and be witty like the show. Then they run into me and my friends and get true wit to deal with. They just end up getting upset and losing their cool, unlike the show, speeding away in their Dodge Neons. So, in fact they are wannabees. Keep in mind that I am just trying to be fair. They call Star Wars Fans nerds, I call them Wannabees. So the wannabees will be full force a week after the Nerds or Fanboys of Indiana Jones. Fair is fair ladies.

So Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are working on a project together. I think that is tremendously exciting. They are trading filming a movie called Tinton. They are filming a back to back trilogy with this film. Spielberg is apparently directing the first, PJ the second and they plan to co direct the third. Sound amazing? Well its animated so, its kinda exciting, but not really. Still it will be nice to see a Steve and PJ collaboration.

So, Clint Eastwood is getting outstanding reviews with his narrative piece called the Exchange. As usual, critics are falling over themselves backwards after watching this film. Now I have seen all of Eastwoods films and yes they are well done, but only a couple of them are really really good. I find it nutty that every critic wets their pants after seeing an Eastwood film and I, a well educated student of film, find them just well done and not AMAZING. Maybe Eastwood is slipping something in the popcorn of the critics or maybe they are just used to mediocre film so much throughout he year that when they see something that resembles a cohesive storyline, they jump for joy. I can believe the latter. Yes Eastwood has talent, but I personally do not believe that he is the giant of filmmaking. He is a subtle filmmaker who relies on acting and classic story telling. You won't see elaborate shots or any special effects in his films because he does in fact take his craft to a basic level of pictures that simply tell stories, which is what filmmaking is! I guess I got bitter when Million Dollar Baby got the Best Pic award when all it did was justify euthanasia. That film was a depress-fest that I truly believed was unworthy of the honor. Well I have come to terms that I don't hate him for ruining the best pic contest every other year, I admire him for helping set the standard for good film.
SO this year we are also seeing the return to the red band trailer, the RED BAND trailer is an R rated trailer that was only shown in R films. PC days of the 90's and even the very understandable and welcomed "toning down" of violence post 9/11 banned these trailers in cinemas. Well now they are back and they are making some films that rely on scares or dirty jokes easier to sell as such genres. What is amazing specifically about this is that M Night's The Happening looks really good. I have written before that is gonna be crap, but I may be wrong. Yes it may be crap, but it seems to have some disturbing images in it that are worth seeing. So kudos to Shyamalan for taking big visual risks! If you don't take risks as a filmmaker and go personal, then you need not to make film. It's all about taking risks and putting something personal on the screen. Until tomorrow, let's talk film! http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cannes_film_festival_2008/news/1729479/
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/movies/20sex.html?_r=1&ref=movies&oref=slogin
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cannes_film_festival_2008/news/1729491/
http://www.joblo.com/video/player.php?video=redbandhappening

Monday, May 19, 2008

Ok, let's talk film. Welcome movie fans! I hope you had a good weekend of movie watching and getting outside hopefully, even though it was hotter than Kristen Bell in a bikini in Southern California this weekend. So maybe movie watching was the thing to do this weekend. I wanted to watch the Indiana Jones trilogy this weekend, but my mail lady is as slow as a conversation between Paris Hilton and herself, so I didn't get them delivered. Maybe tomorrow. My closet case friend over the weekend made fun of me for suggesting 27 dresses to watch over the weekend. Well I say to him and to all, this blog is for male and female, geek and non geek alike. So if I recommend Pretty in Pink, its because I have unisex taste. But I am straight, manly male. Grrrrr. Kristen Bell...Grrrrr. BTW I noticed she was up and coming when Amanda and I sat down last year and watched Pulse on a scary movie night. Yes, I call them before they make it known.

So the Narnia managed to fight its way to a dismal Number one this weekend. Disney would have made more money with a direct to video release. It only packed in 56 million for an anticipated sequel. If you need an analogy that's like you going to see an EX and he or she gives you half a hug and an ass slap as they run out the door when they finish talking to you. In short, it was not well received. A strong opening weekend would be 100 million which I am sure the execs were all worshiping false gods for over the weekend. But nay, it had only one weekend to prove its worthiness before getting trampled on for Indiana Jones and Sex and the City and Narnia didn't pull it off. Shame.

Early reviews are in for Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and it is looking good. Reminds me of how we all waited with bated breath for the reviews of Revenge of the Sith to roll in. They turned out to be good. These reviews are loaded with good things to say. I can't tell you how excited I am. Interesting review by Roger Ebert ask the question Which Indy film would be the favorite if Last Crusade came first. Or Crystal Skull- That's a paraphrase. Ebert equates it to sausage, "All you can do is compare one to the other three. And even then, what will it get you? If you eat four pounds of sausage, how do you choose which pound tasted the best? Well, the first one, of course, and then there's a steady drop-off of interest" Well leave it to Ebert to equate sausage, I am no trim ballerina myself, yet this metaphor is what makes the three movies the standard for sequels and adventure films. Spielberg and Co. know how to make films. If you saw any of the best picture nominees this year, you will notice that those five films were exceptional. This gives us hope. There are really exceptional films out there. The kicker is that with all the millions of dollars studios spend on these, shouldn't all films be exceptional? And why are they not? Why do we not have a slew of directors like Spielberg? Why do we have Michael Bay?
I do have an answer for you. Ego. There is an influx of ego in Hollywood that supersedes talent. Bay's ego could not fit in the ocean. It is too big! When Bay makes a film, he makes sure that he storms on the set with his Bullhorn and yells at everyone to yell and blow things up. That is not directing. That is being a spoiled child on a movie set, when Spielberg, PJ, and even yes Jon Favreau step onto a set, they make film. They align a story with pictures. They have TALENT. Ego directors have zero talent. They are no less inspiring than a studio exec. Shamaylan fits into that category too. Ego's invasion of talent. It kills good film.
No link for this thought, but I have intelligently figured out why MTV is so hard up about its twilight film. It's because its an MTV production! I am sure a million people knew that before I did, I am a little slow on the uptake today. So that is why MTV is pushing this meek film about every one's favorite dead cow subject, Vampires! Anyway, MTV has a history of making crusted cat crap look cool. Let them, its all they have.
Countdown begins for Indiana Jones!!!! Until tomorrow! Let's talk film!

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080518/REVIEWS/969461084
http://movies.ign.com/articles/874/874632p1.html
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/indiana_jones_countdown/news/1728985/

Friday, May 16, 2008

Ok let's talk film. First off, Will Smith's Hancock seems to be in serious trouble. Reports are saying that the world premiere has been cancelled. Now the world premiere is the special screening where Paris Hilton and her drunk friends make their monthly appearance and drink all the free booze. So, that particular screening has been put on hold. Apparently according to Cinemablend, the film needs to go through reshoots. Usually what this means is that the film did not come together at all. Someone high-ups sat down to watch a screening and were blown away about how bad it was. So they need to go back and essentially remake the film in a few short weeks to save it from its impending disaster. Also learned in the article is that I Am Legend had to go through the same brigade of reshoots. So is this just a Will Smith problem? Does he not like the angles he is being shot from? I dunno, but if a film has to go "back to the drawing board" its not a good sign. I Am Legend was not good. It has good parts. But it is, in a whole,a film that did not hold together. It will make money, Will Smith is an actor who draws crowds based on his performance alone. I am really not sure any actor can do that. Will Smith as the top bill doing Sci Fi, draws crowds based on his persona alone. I like Will Smith, he is great to watch. I just hope he doesn't lose luster with strings of mediocre film. he may turn into an Eddie Murphy, fun to watch, but not fun to watch again in the same film.
Word buzzes that Spider-Man 4 and 5 are in the planning process of being shot back to back like Back to the Futures and of course thelordoftherings. (no that's not a typo) INSIDE JOKE. (Peter Jackson in all his commentary on LOTR DVD's says it so fast it sounds like one word. The man has said his movie title SO MUCH that it all blends together in his mouth. Funny.) ANYWAY, POINT! Who cares about spider man 4 and 5? I don't. I speak for a lot of movie goers who thing 3 is well enough. But, what is Sony Pictures thinking? Well, they do not want to get rid of their cash cow. Even when the cow smells like week old carcass, they still want to suck any life out of it they can so that NUMBER ONE, the studio can look great and NUMBER TWO, the execs can retire well. This Spider man 4 and 5 has absolutely nothing to do with fan base or fan demands. Sony wants to continue to drain the cow dry at the expense of the actors and Sam Raimi who I am sure want to go do other things? Why you ask? Why does Tobey Maquire and Kirsten Dunst want to do other things? Because they have talent. They can do whatever they want and we will go see it. The Execs have ZERO talent. They can't go do something else. They need Spider-Man WAY more than we do or the Actor's do. So that is why they are making Spider-Man 4 and 5. NOT FOR YOU. For studio execs who have no talent.
Prince Caspian is getting OK reviews. So if you are a fan, please go see it. Consensus says you will like it. Darker than the first. I could care less, it's not my cup o tea.
Early reviews of Sex and The City (link Below) says it is just an inflated version of the show. I had previously predicted that this would be the highest grossing film of the summer due to repeat "girls night out viewings" (can't get away from the man at home on DVD) and the strong untapped demographic of the women's target audience that made Titanic rise to #1 for so long. Put those two factor together and you have yourself a number one grossing film for Summer. USUALLY the 18-35 male does not return to the theatre to see a film twice, they wait for video. Sex and the City is a female event film that will be a great place to pick up chicks. OK
The Mummy 3 trailer is up and running, look at it. It looks good. the incredibly rich Steven Sommers did not direct, he is busy directing GI JOE for Paramount. Rob Cohen of Fast and Furious and XXX which I liked a lot. XXX is a guilty pleasure film of mine. So Cohen directing Mummy 3 is cool with me.
My movie recommendations for Friday are as follows: Stay home and rent 27 Dresses and Cloverfield, both mediocre films, but cute nevertheless. Best time to rent at blockbuster is always on Friday Afternoons and Sunday Mornings, Stay away from the theatre unless you are a true Narnia fan. Rent Mannequin and Honeymoon in Vegas for the girls to get ready for Sex and The City as well as the show and for the Boys watch LOTS of Indiana Jones. Have a good weekend! Until Monday Let's Talk Film!

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mummy_tomb_of_the_dragon_emperor/news/1728590/
http://www.collider.com/entertainment/reviews/article.asp?aid=7903&tcid=1
http://www.cinematical.com/2008/05/16/scoop-spider-man-4-and-5-might-be-shot-at-the-same-time/
http://www.cinemablend.com/new.php?id=8851
http://www.variety.com/VE1117937145.html

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Ok Let's talk film, so yesterday was George Lucas' birthday and RT did a list of the best and worst movies he has produced. Tomatoes reminded us that George has has epic success with the iconic film he has given us. I will always be a bigger Indiana Jones fan than a Star Wars fan. But that is just me. RT also reminds us of the disaster he cooked up in the early 80's such as Howard the Duck, which I think is tragically beautiful, Kelli thinks the duck sex is gross. He also drunkenly produced Radioland Murders which I think all of ten people saw and Willow, which is also a tragically beautiful film that tanked at the box office. Wiiilllow (sheep Voice). Well Happy Birthday George! (May 14) We honesty can't imagine life without Star Wars. What would my childhood have been like without it? I hate to imagine relying on GI JOE, though the action figures' knees and elbows did bend while Boba Fett was stuck straight legged.
Article in the New York times today talks about the lack of summer sequels at the box office and how that might equal lack of confidence in audience. The article says "The mix may not perfectly match the mood of an audience looking for refuge from election campaigns and high-priced gas, said Peter Sealey, a former Columbia Pictures marketing executive who is now an adjunct professor of marketing at Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker School. “If the schedule were not set three years in advance, they’d have a different slate,” Mr. Drucker said." Now this is typical of a Hollywood exec. These guys still think they have their hand the pulse of America's movie watching. They don't. Do you know what they have? Do you know what these studio heads and marketing execs rely on? Box Office Numbers from last year and focus groups. That's it. These execs don't go to theatres themselves and talk to people or feel t. he vibe of the public. These higher ups in Hollywood see movies on special screenings. They don't see films with real audience members who are tired of contrivance and formula and the umpteenth comic book hero made poorly into a film. Here's the secret Peter Sealey will not tell you about his role in Hollywoood marketing, he doesn't care if you like the film or not. He could care less if you can relate to it and want to watch it over and over on DVD. These people spend hours and hours pouring over numbers and formula methods in plot to get you in the theatre and out in under 2 hours. They want to excite you and dazzle you and they do not care how good the film is. It doesn't matter. Look at What Happens in Vegas. They got a high concept idea, big stars, and did a Romantic Comedy by the numbers. It stunk. It stunk like yesterday's socks! Did the care about the film being good! No! They wanted to get you in the theatre and dazzle you with an idea. That's it. Let me tell you, if Fox wanted What Happens in Vegas to be any good, they would have spent their money on a better screenwriter and director. But as I have continually proven, Hollywood could care less about the quality of the film it shoots. Iron Man? You say? Yes Iron Man was good because you had an inexpensive, but very caring and talented director to helm it. And Robert Downey Jr., a really talented actor to star.
So Mr. Sealey also is telling us that we need Hollywood to seek refuge in from Gas Prices and election campaigns, well Peter, we don't need movies for that. We as Americans have Family, friends, and TV for that. You have to get us in the theatre with more than a promise of refuge from Gas prices. What about the inflation of movie tickets? Where do we do when its 20 dollars for a matinee, Peter? Use some of that astute insight to tell us that? You seem to have your hand on the pulse of American film going! So here is the point, we don't go to see sequels or comic books, we go to the theatre to see good film, if its not good we may not see it, we don't want to see something done half ass like almost everything seems to be. Yes we want to be entertained but we want to be surprised. We want to see life recreated in well done film. Do you know why all the movies in the 70's were pretty good? Because box office relied heavily on word of mouth. Films had to be good in the early 70's or people would not see them. Imagine that! Hollywood could not hire big actors and get a huge idea and then hire sub par writers and directors. It was world without Michael Bay! The horror. It was terrible because it was the time when Hollywood went to USC to pick out talent. They got the young film students of Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven. Why don't they just do that again. Look for talent. I guarantee you this, Hollywood cares nada about talent or substance. And these days we demand it. Some studios respond, most of them don't.
So, there is a Point Break Sequel in the works at Fox. Jan de Bont of Speed and Twister is going to direct FOR SURE. Filming will start this August. NO word yet on Reeves and Swayze returning or jumping out of airplanes.
Ok another point I need to drive to the ground how I feel about the remake news today and everyday it seems. Hollywood doesn't have new ideas so we remake everything from the 80's..blah blah blah. We know this. So we have news of Friday the 13th and Piranha being made again. Who directed Piranha 2? Anyone!!!?? James Cameron, that's right. Point? Here's the remake thing. Horror movies are at their frightening best when left greatly unexplained. That's what Rob Zombie doesn't understand. John Carpenter's Halloween was so much more frightening when Michael Meyers did not have extensive back story and explanation. Watching a babysitter killer hacking naked chicks was scary because we did not know why he did it. Yes Zombie and Hollywood today needs the explanation the back story, as if we care, to NUMBER ONE, have an excuse to remake a movie and NUMBER TWO, over explain something enough to the point that murder is UNDERSTANDABLE. Well murder will never be understandable, at least not to normal caring folk like yourself, therefore it is scarier and more believable left mostly unexplained. So, Rob and Hollywood hacks of 80's cinema, explain away, all you are doing is making something scary, LESS SCARY. Its like The Hills explaining Heidi Montag's messed up childhood. Good job.
Speaking of not scary, M. Night Shamaylan is going to throw garbage up on the screen one again. Why do execs let him make film. He should be directing episodes of Law and Order SVU for the rest of his life. Shamaylan is NOT good. He had one good film, Sixth Sense and if you have ever seen it twice, it is Booooooring. Why is still being mainstream camera? Send him to NBC or maybe they don't even want him. Anyway.
The one ring dot net has news of PJ talking about the Hobbit on May 24 on a Podcast. Read below to find out more! And Shia Lebouf talks about his favorite Indy scene which he calls "the massive sword fight". sounds cool. We love Shia, he is funny. Until next time! Let's talk film!

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/indiana_jones_countdown/news/1728125/

http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/05/15/young-jason-voorhees-revealed/

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117985652.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2564

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cannes_film_festival_2008/news/1728194/

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/05/14/indy-star-shia-labeouf-swings-swords-for-his-favorite-scene/

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2008/05/14/28847-an-unexpected-party-chat-with-pj-and-gdt/

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Ok, let's talk film. Great article in LA times today about screenwriting segwaying into that subject from talking about Leonardo's in the works bio pic on Ian Fleming. Now, I have never known Leo to be a bottom feeder of ideas in Hollywood, as in if you can't make a Bond film cause you're too American like Leo or you can't make Borne film because Matt beat everyone to that franchise, you might as well look the part and be "the real James Bond" as the Article says. Well with so many James Bonds out there I say can the real James Bond please stand up, please stand up! But Leo it seems is going for a Shakespeare in Love story with Ian Fleming, delving into how the Bond creator wrote the stories from life experience. According to the article it seems Moneypenny and M are based on real characters. Maybe we will finally get to know what M stands for. He apparently like biopics now that he has freedom to produce scripts.
His Howard Hughes stint was delectable to watch, yet Leo is at his best playing the young desperate character fighting for something, like in the Departed, Gang of New York and Baskeball Diaries. I am sure he will return to those roles, but he is diverse and a good actor to watch on screen. So the point, it will enjoyable to watch this film with a good director attached, Scorsese? Maybe? I dunno, but Leo has the pull to get a good one.
The article continues to talk about the fact that scripts do not sell in Hollywood, directors do. It talks about how scripts do not sell unless it is based on a comic or novel. Apparently if you want to be a story writer, you need to write books. I have known this for a while, in fact I talk about it often. Original ideas are dead in Hollywood. They died out in the 80's, which is why we remake 80's film. Cause we have to revamp the mediocre ideas of that decade. I have said this many times before that films will eventually be like Plays. Film makers will redo scripts like Broadway re-does Plays. Eventually we will be saying have you seen the Karate Kid with Jude Law? or wasn't Pretty in Pink better with Gweneth Paltrow than Sofia Bush? It will get to that point. Film will eventually be like a broadway play. Definitely. A sad day that will be. I am sure it will all begin with the Breakfast Club being remade ten times.
For now, everthing must be based on a Novel or Comic. Well we won't run out of novels, but comic heroes will get slim. I mean we've already redone Batman and Superman twice, so the repeat of the others will be happening soon I am sure. Batman Begins Again?
Yes I run out of faith in Hollywood especially since a lot of ideas are driven to the ground, this good article speaks of that also, for instance what I said yesterday about Vampires! I am tired of being right all the time! The day I published my mediocre blog about Vampires being overcooked ideas Jay A Fernandez wrote the same thing today in his article. "Cooper echo" here as it seems. Vampires are over over done and "Blood sucked" as Jay's article put it. So why all the hype for Twilight? Why the back to back sequels for a film that has not been released and is about a genre that has been trampled to death? I dunno, but someone is still addicted to coke in Hollywood for thinking this. Anyway read the article linked below.
So according to Rotten Tomatoes Narnia has recieved a 88% thus far. Interesting yet necessary response to ingite the series. I figured they would have cancelled everything when the first one got bad reviews, yet it made over 300 mil worldwide, so I guess Walden Media is in it for the long haul. I hear the next one "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" coming May 7 2010 is a better story. It has a better director, Michael Apted, a James Bond director. So that shows promise. One reviewer states that Caspian may be an Empire Strikes Back. I will believe that when I see it.
Another article in the LA times speaks of once lengendary (and still so) actresses Cameron Diaz and Gweneth Paltrow accepting accessory roles now that they are older and not leading lady roles like their acting chops call for. I agree that they are too talented to play roles reserved for "Brittany Murphy" as the article says, or Sophia Bush as I say, but what's the saying...No such thing as small roles... As a college actor, I used to love the small roles I got cast in. They were the most fun. The leading roles were a lot of pressure. I am sure these two actresses are having a blast with the small roles. I am sure if these actresses wanted to they can find a role and make it happen like Leo does. What is Joe Wright doing these days after Atonement, get him on the phone with Gwen! Well Sex and the City will add the Y chomosone to the box office! The article says x chomosone A typo by the LA times Writer, Abromowitz. Fruedian slip maybe? Or maybe it was just a college experiement Ms. Abramowitz of the LA times? Anyway I will make many mistakes also in writing. Though I do know my chromosones, some people say I have extra ones. :)
There is a Point Break sequel in the mix, not to be surprized with Die Hard 4 and Indy 4 and Rocky and Rambo 4 or 5, this time instead of the talented Kathyn Biglow we get the equally talented Jan De Bont -Look him up, IMDB.com. I can handle that trade. Seems like one of the only trades of director that is Apple for Apple. Unlike the horrid decision to remove Alfonso Cuaron from directing Harry Potters. Hollywood also suffers from Down's syndrome at times. Extra chomosone thing.
Cannes begins next week, read up on that.
Mtv movies awards are coming up. Why bother with such a disaster of bad taste as in nominating Transformers as best movie? Might as well nominate Michael bay as best screenwriter. I call it the ADD Movie awards instead of MTV movie award since all the nominess are films that require little taste in film. They are for the people that Call Atonement boring, There Will Be Blood stupid, and No Country for Old Men that wierd movie with the stupid ending. If you this person that's cool. No I am not being elitist! I am just keeping it real! I love bubble gum popcorn film very much, but just call it that! Best Summer Blockbuster! Not Best Movie! Best Movie was No Country For Old Men, I agree with that. Best Blockbuster was Borne Ultimatum. Just call it what it is. Don't insult us any more MTV, you suck the IQ points out of our heads anyway with putting Heidi Montag on the air, making such women drolling baffoons falling over emotinally constipated men like the boring Spencer. Don't you worry that you may be sending the wrong message to your target audience? I guess it doesn't matter, its all about being "cool" anyway. Being cool is not really that cool anyway. Just ask Diablo Cody. Until Tomorrow, Let's Talk Film!

Bib-blog-ography

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/05/21-jump-street.html

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-scriptland14-2008may14,0,786641.story?track=rss

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-brief14-2008may14,0,489942.story