The UBS Evening Movie News 01.31.08
Posted by George H. Sirois on 01.31.2008
The “Golden” Edition…
Welcome everyone to the latest edition of The UBS Evening Movie News. I'm George H. Sirois, and when I took on this gig back in February of last year, I had no idea that I'd make it to column number 50! I wasn't sure if I was going to be good enough to cover the news every week in addition to doing my weekly Scene Anatomy 101 column.
Sure enough, here we are at the 50th edition of The UBS Evening Movie News, and since I never pass up a chance to milk a major moment in my writing, there are quite a few people to thank here. Obviously, first and foremost, thanks to the Boss Ashish and Movies Zone co-editor Leonard Hayhurst for giving me this opportunity to cover the news and for giving me the freedom to spin it in any way I want.
A hearty shout-out goes to the rest of the podcast crew: Chad Webb, Will Helm and Tony Farinella. Everyone's kicking ass on this new addition to the zone, and I've been having a lot of fun taking part in it. Even though I won't be there for the recording tomorrow night, I'm making sure I'm there in spirit, so Leonard will be reading off my responses to what is asked of us.
Much congrats go to Chad Webb, who will be taking on co-editor duties here at the Movies Zone. I know he's gonna do a great job, and if you have yet to read his work, you can catch it every Monday at The Big Screen Bulletin.
And many more thanks go out to my fellow writers for their constant support. Scott Rutherford and Mr. Furious, specifically, thank you both for taking the reigns when I had to step away. Mr. Furious will be doing the same thing next week for the 51st edition. Thanks to 411 writers Ben Piper and longtime-friend Jason Goodman for their contributions to the Vox Populus. Thanks to my buddy Charlie Kessler for the constant suggestions on both specific stories and topics.
Much kudos go to Eric, one of my readers who took it upon himself to make the new logo for the news report. I asked him to put this special logo together for this edition, and he came through in a big way.
Of course, thanks to all the readers that have been sending me feedback along the way, and thanks to the participants in the search for this week's Mad Prophet of the Airwaves rant. I'll get to the winner later on.
And thanks to Cheryl for putting up with the crazy hours that I go through to keep myself on schedule.
Okay, on with the news, and we got a lot to cover this week. So let's get to it…
TOP STORY
The WGA has failed to act on a request from film indie Nu Image/Millennium for an interim work agreement, and company co-topper Avi Lerner is doing a slow burn over the situation.
Lerner wants to get back to work on several film projects frozen in development by the writers strike, and he said another recently shot feature could use some script tweaks for re-shoots. A guild spokesman said Tuesday that no final decision has been made in the matter, but Lerner said a WGA representative informed Nu Image execs, effectively, that the company wouldn't be granted an interim pact because Nu Image is too lightweight to put pressure on major studios.
"We've had some preliminary discussion, but there has been no decision on anything," WGA West spokesman Neal Sacharow said.
Lerner acknowledged being told to try again in a few weeks, but he is finding the delay hard to understand.
Guild brass hopes its recently secured interim work agreements with such indies as the Weinstein Co., United Artists, Summit, Overture and even mini-major Lionsgate will force the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers back to the bargaining table over fears by major studio executives of a growing competitive advantage by the indies. The interim pacts have allowed the indies to bring certain WGA members back to work on an array of film projects.
"Do you think the studios care?" Lerner asked. "They can wait another 10 years, but I'm talking about surviving. I can't understand why (the WGA) would make agreements with so many independent companies and not with us."
Like most indies, Nu Image caps its budgets well below the average studio tentpole production. Yet with a slate featuring films budgeted as high as the $60 million earmarked for Nu Image's upcoming Robert De Niro-Al Pacino starrer "Righteous Kill," Nu Image arguably rivals all but studio specialty divisions in the scope of its feature productions.
Principal photography has wrapped on "Kill," but Lerner said he had hoped to stage some brief re-shoots. "We were thinking of doing a re-shoot of a few things, and now we can't do it," he said.
Ouch. "Too lightweight to put pressure on major studios" is a bit harsh for this company. Granted, they haven't been around for too long, but at the same time, they have some pretty solid star power in their projects, especially with Righteous Kill and its $60 million budget. I think if the film had yet to shoot, then they might have granted them the interim work agreement since they had Pacino and De Niro signed up and ready to go. But since the big tentpole film for this company was already finished with the shooting and all that was needed were some quick re-shoots, it sounds like the WGA felt this was the perfect opportunity to show that not everyone is going to get an interim agreement.
I'm just not too sure about this one and if this is going to be the best thing to help settle the strike in the long run. I would assume that the more companies that go to the Guild for interim agreements, the more the studios would feel the pressure and would quickly go back to the bargaining tables. All that this is doing is making me curious to know what other projects are in the Nu Image pipeline. It's not like this is Cannon Film Co. and the other films are low-budget Chuck Norris exploitation movies. Although it would be a riot if that were the case…
Credit: Variety.com
SYBIL THE SOOTHSAYER
UPCOMING MOVIES
The EyeJessica Alba plays a blind violinist who gets her sight back through an anonymous eye donor but starts seeing things she doesn't want to.
Strange Wilderness: Steve Zahn plays a TV wildlife show host desperate for ratings, so he goes after Bigfoot.
Over Her Dead Body: A romantic comedy about a female psychic (Lake Bell) and a doubtful skeptic (Paul Rudd) who find their fledgling love affair thwarted by the latter's recently deceased fiancée (Eva Longoria).
I'm skeptical about this weekend, because if this is the best that the movies have to offer, if this is what is following Meet the Spartans in theaters – which, if you're keeping score, now has a whopping THREE PERCENT score on RottenTomatoes.com - then I have no idea who's going to come out on top at the box office. It's basically going to be a race to see which movie sucks the least.
If I were Stallone and Harvey Weinstein, I'd make sure that there is so much press for Rambo out there that audiences will think that's the only movie in town. There hasn't been a clearer path for him to grab a number one spot in years!
Credit: TheMovieBox.net
DVD NEWS
The announcements for when the Oscar-nominated films arrive on DVD have begun. One of the Best Picture contenders, No Country for Old Men will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray from Warner in March.
Both discs will have some featurettes including "Working with the Coens: Reflections of Cast and Crew," "The Making of No Country for Old Men" and "Diary of a Country Sheriff."
The discs arrive for $29.99 (DVD) and $34.99 (Blu-ray) on March 11th.
Credit: DVDReview.com
MOVIE TRAILER OF THE WEEK: Vantage Point
Cheryl and I saw this trailer when we saw Sweeney Todd, and it looks like a blast. We're both anxious to see this…
JIM WEBBING AND HIS IT'S-THE-HONEST-TRUTH-DEPARTMENT
"I'm Bringing Freddy Back": New Line is in talks with horror production company Platinum Dunes to re-launch the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" movie series, the franchise that helped establish the studio.
Partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form will produce the remake.
The first "Nightmare" movie was written and directed by Wes Craven and released in 1984. Its runaway success spawned a slew of films and created one of the most popular villains in screen history, Freddy Krueger, played by Robert Englund.
The films' premise centered on Krueger, a serial child killer murdered by angry parents who returns with a burned face and razor glove to terrorize teens in their dreams.
A writer will be hired when the strike ends.
Platinum Dunes is prepping another re-launch, "Friday the 13th," which will be directed by Marcus Nispel for New Line, for whom they remade "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and its sequel.
The company is remaking "Near Dark" for Rogue and "The Birds" for Universal. It also is prepping a non-remake project, an untitled David Goyer thriller.
I only knew it was a matter of time before Platinum Dunes got their hands on this one. Granted, I give Halloween the nod over Elm Street and Friday the 13th, but I have a special place in my heart for Freddy Krueger, and a lot of that has to do with how Robert Englund portrayed him. His was one of the few performances that evolved through an entire franchise with the same actor onboard. You can't think of Robert without thinking of Freddy.
If Englund stays onboard, it'll be interesting since he'll be offering a lot of input about what works and what doesn't work with this character and franchise. If he's not involved, then we'll basically be getting some other random guy doing a Robert Englund impersonation. Either way, I'd just rather watch the original franchise all over again. Well, I'll watch most of it. No need to look at Part 2 again.
Credit: HollywoodReporter.com
QED Set to Put Food on Stone's Family: In a move that makes the Oliver Stone-directed Bush a reality, QED has closed a deal to fully finance a drama that will begin production in April.
Josh Brolin is finalizing a deal to play President Bush.
The deal -- made a week after Stone and producing partner Moritz Borman unveiled the top-secret script to buyers -- means Bush could be in theaters by November's presidential elections, and certainly before Bush leaves the White House in January.
QED, the production/financing company started three years ago by Bill Block, Paul Hanson and Elliot Ferwerda, will sell offshore territories next week at the European Film Market in Berlin. QED Intl.'s Kim Fox will spearhead that effort. A domestic distribution deal is expected to be made shortly after that fest.
While Bush is a controversial figure abroad, QED's Block said that didn't mean the film won't find receptive audiences offshore.
"Whether you love Bush or you hate him, he has changed the world forever," Block told Daily Variety. "He's a subject of fascination to the rest of the world, no matter how you feel about him, and Oliver has put together a very complete and complex characterization of his life. Josh Brolin has the range and depth to reveal this character's amazing journey to the ultimate power seat."
QED will finance a budget north of $25 million in partnership with Aramid, the U.K.-based hedge fund. Pic gives QED two plum titles, as the company is also financing Peter Jackson's District 9, the sci-fi film that director Neill Blomkamp and producer Peter Jackson hatched after Universal and Fox unplugged their plan to team on Halo. That also starts production in the spring, and Sony will distribute.
Brolin, who is coming off No Country for Old Men and American Gangster, will start work on Bush after he wraps the Gus Van Sant-directed Milk. Stone is already casting other roles that include Laura Bush and former President George H.W. Bush. Stone and producers Borman and Jon Kilik are locking locations, using much of the crew that was ready to work for Stone on Pinkville until United Artists derailed the film.
Stone, who worked on the script with his Wall Street co-writer Stanley Weiser before the writers strike and returned to it after Pinkville fell apart, told Daily Variety last week he is aiming for a fair portrait of Bush, similar to Nixon. The film will cover Bush's transformation from a substance-abusing underachiever through a conversion to Christianity. Stone said it will deal with Bush's belief that God wanted him to be president, and the story leads up to the invasion of Iraq.
I'm a fan of Oliver Stone, and I really enjoyed both JFK and Nixon. Plus, Wall Street was one of my favorite films, so I have a lot of faith in this project. The way it sounds, the structure seems to be mirroring Spike Lee's epic Malcolm X, with the drug use at the beginning and the conversion to Christianity and his rise to power following that. Wow, come to think of it, it sounds a LOT like the structure of Malcolm X. I doubt the film's going to end with a bunch of kids standing up yelling, "I am George W. Bush!"
But seriously folks, I'm sure Fox News is ready to carve into this and talk about how this is once again the Left-Wing Hollywood Elite (TM News Corp., 2000) taking a shot at our fearless leader. But judging how Stone was able to make Nixon seem somewhat likable in that biopic, I'm anxious to see how he will do with a subject that's not only very much alive, but will still be in the White House when this is scheduled to be released.
I just wonder if Stone's going to cave and show us some OB-GYNs practicing their love on women.
Credit: HollywoodReporter.com
FILM MUSIC NEWS
* Film Music Critics Announce Award Nominations
* TASCAM Announces GigaStudio 4
* Canadian Creators Issue Copyright Platform
* Feature Article: My Tour of Duty in NAMM by Vivek Maddala
* The Scoreboard: Hundreds of Composers and Their Projects
* Signings and Projects: Patrick Doyle, Dario Marianelli, Dave Grusin, Nathaniel Mechaly and More
* The Chart Doctor - by Ron Hess, Keeping the Orchestra in Orchestration
* Music Technology and You - by Peter Lawrence Alexander, Independent Developers Shine Out at NAMM 2008
* Soundtrack Review - by Daniel Schweiger, James Newton Howard Scores
The "Know Thy Enemy" feature has reached its final installment. Just like last week, Tom Brady, this week you are my enemy, and so for my readers' viewing pleasure, I present to them the mother of your children, the lovely Bridget Moynahan…
So after I posted my invitation in last week's UBS Evening Movie News to get readers to send in their rants, I only got two responses. However, those two were so damn good that I didn't want to pick between them. So thanks to both of you gents. You'll be sharing the spotlight to close out the 50th edition of The UBS Evening Movie News. First off, we have reader Todd V…
Where's the Originality?
I know that I am not the first person to say this, and I will probably not be the last to make the statement, but what happened to originality in Hollywood? This thought was echoed in my head time and time again after recently seeing Cloverfield, which whether you like the movie or not, you have to admit is a very fresh take on a near dormant sub-genre of film. Taking into account the enormous success, and rather cheap production cost of this film, one would think that Hollywood would in fact, be chomping at the bit to figure a way to bring viewers into the theatres.
But instead of hearing of new interesting ideas the likes of Cloverfield, we are hearing of yet more remakes of our favorite, and in some cases our not so favorite, movies from the 80's.
Some may argue that remakes are good, and point to the reboots of the Batman franchise as proof, but a reboot is not a remake in any sense of the word. A reboot is a starting over, and a revision of the franchise's entire universe. As with Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan gave the Bat back its edge, told of his origins, and his first nemesis. This film acted as if the Burton classics never happened, and in turn breathed much needed life into the Batman character, whereas a remake is pretty much telling the exact same story with updated pop culture references and dialog.
Sometimes this approach can work, as with the recently announced reboot of the Friday the 13th series. I think this is one that can work, as they intend to do something different and make Jason Voorhees the killer from the get go. They are examining what the series would have been if Jason was the slasher from the get-go. This is offering a new take on the franchise, not just rehashing the first film.
Other times, as with the Amityville Horror remake, they bring nothing new to the legacy, and is essentially, as I said earlier, an identical movie to the original, with updated references and dialog. The problem here is we've seen it already, they added nothing to the history, no new scares, and is essentially a lazy attempt to make a buck.
The first person I think, to successfully meld a remake and a reboot into the same film, even though I don't care for the film, or much for him as a filmmaker, is Rob Zombie with Halloween. Zombie dared to venture to uncharted waters, and delve deeper into the Psyche of Michael Myers, and showed us that even though there are contributing factors from his childhood, the fact remains that Michael Myers is pure evil. What Zombie did was try to add to the mystique without alienating what made the character intriguing in the first place.
I have compiled a short list of rules that Hollywood should follow when considering a remake, a list that I think could really bring some significance to these remakes.
1. The rule of 20. If it has been less than twenty years since a franchise has been used, whether it be a sequel, or the original, don't bother. This is especially true with horror movies. Do the math; you have to be 17 to get into an R rated movie. That means the original fans that seen the movie are only a mere 20 years older, hell that is barely enough time for their kids to grow up. By following this rule, I think you open your chances of introducing your product to a new audience.
2. If you have nothing new to add to the legacy, and want to do a direct remake... don't bother. All's this will do is make fans look back on the original with more prestige. This helps DVD sales of the classic, not the new.
3. A hip young cast does not equal a good remake. If there is one thing classic horror movies can teach us, it is that you do not need a big name cast for a movie to be successful.
4. Remember the spirit of the original. Try to remember what it was that made the original so special. Someone wanted to do something their own way, and took risks to do it. I'm not saying duplicate, but definitely be inspired.
5. If you must bring a Japanese horror film to the states, bring the idea, not the script. Can anyone point me towards a decent remake of a Japanese horror film? The Ring? Although financially successful, I thought the story was very confusing and at times made little to no sense at all. I'm not saying that they do a direct translation of the script in the remakes, but man I sure feel like they do when I try to figure out what the hell is going on. Having never seen the Japanese version of the Ring, I am assuming the main plot points of the US version are lifted directly from the Japanese version. My suggestion is simply taking the spirit of the plot, and creating an original story around that. "A video that kills people 7 days after they watch it...What can we do with that?"
My original point of this rant was to say that I am ready for Hollywood to take chances creatively. Sin City, 300, and more recently Cloverfield have all shown that the viewing public is not afraid to take a risk with a film. You should not be afraid either.
Awesome work, Todd. And it seems like we both agree on Rob Zombie's Halloween. Granted, I haven't seen his other work, so I can't really comment on him as a filmmaker, but his take on Halloween… horrifying in all the wrong ways.
Next up is another frequent 411 reader, Darth Mortis…
I have noticed over the course of the last few years that either I am too old to appreciate some things, or that the general population has proved one of two things. Either evolution is a process that can work in reverse or the general intelligence of the human race has slid faster than a fat kid on a greased up slide.
Where to begin? Well, let's start with politics. Take the US as an example (as I know we all will anyway). Since the Carter Administration, there has been one political constant. Republican presidencies are plagued with Recession. George HW Bush inherited a recession from Reagan, was able to bolster the economy with the (justified) first Gulf War, but almost as fast as that war ended, so did the burst of growth.
Then Clinton was voted in. In spite of the various witch hunts that plagued his two terms, he managed to balance the budget. Of course, it wasn't overnight, but nothing is...except a night's sleep...unless you work the midnight shift...but I digress.
With a balanced budget and the inability to run for a third term, the people decided that Clinton should be replaced with George DUBYA Bush. (Of course, by people I mean the minority of the popular voters over the course of two elections.) Of course, in a completely foreseeable turn of events...the US economy has tanked, and is spiraling into recession as we speak. No one I know, or have talked to, had voted for DUBYA, but apparently enough did to ensure the electoral college for him and thus the presidency.
Let's look at movies for a second.
Napoleon Dynamite? Meet The Spartans? Date Movie? Epic Movie? Hostel? I Know Who Killed Me??? Not a single one of those are what can be called 'good,' yet, when you look at the box office takings, they have all earned money. no, seriously...look it up.
Television...
Lost? Good for a season and has been an unwatchable mess ever since.
24? See above, but add a couple of seasons
Pussycat Dolls, Cashmere Mafia, Gossip Girl...I don't even know what the hell a Pussycat Doll is. I assume from the commercial for their 'new' show, it is some kind of whore.
Is it just me? At the age of 35 am I so old that I just don't understand the decisions being made in the world today?
I would never take out a 'dream mortgage' without knowing that the interest rate would jump after the 'teaser' period to the point that it almost doubles the initial interest rate. There are enough people who did, however, to drive the US economy into crisis mode.
I wouldn't go see a movie that is so formulaic that it includes the words 'if you loved (____), then you will love (____)' (I am looking at YOU Stomp The Yard, She Got Game, You Got Served and How She Move.)
I don't watch TV shows that require written notes to follow the plot (Lost) or are yet another trendy network prime time game show that is destined to end up syndicated with Meredith Viera replacing the original host. (Howie Mandel and/or Jeff Foxworthy as examples). I despise the American Idol 'phenomena' as well as the insipid Karaoke shows. But when you look at ratings, Battlestar Galactica doesn't even register with the dreck that tops it on the lists.
Is it me? Am I a lone voice from another era? Do I expect too much from the News when i want to know the story behind a government scandal but get Britney Spears instead? Do I delude myself when I see a commercial for a movie and think back to the days when you had good stories told?
Is the world worse off now, or am I just expecting too much from my fellow man?
Another solid piece of work, and Darth, even though we disagree about "Lost," I do feel your pain.
Great job, both of you. You make me proud to have you as readers.
And that's a wrap for Chapter 50 of The UBS Evening News. I'm George H. Sirois, and I'll see you in two weeks. Mr. Furious, they're all yours!
I agree with Darth Mortis 100%. I'm 36 and feel practically the same way. I bought into my own home, but by reading the fine print, I was able to find a better lender without the shady bullshit. And with Dubya... well... I think we all agree with anything said against him and his cronies.
But onto film and television. I personally don't agree about Lost, I find it to be a very entertaining show, but I do agree with the influx of horrific so-called reality programs. From Dancing with C-lebrities and other junk, it's just sad that television (and to an extent, society) has fallen into such a sad condition.
But what do you expect when you see more posts in at 411Movies about Britney than you do about actual film and television news.
Posted By: Dorn (Guest) on January 31, 2008 at 03:32 AM
Great column as always! Darth wants to know if the world is worse off now. It is worse off. What the hell is happening to humanity? We are seeking to new lows of stupidity. Anyway take care everyone. Nice to know some sane people are still left :)
Posted By: JM85 (Guest) on January 31, 2008 at 03:59 AM
"Having never seen the Japanese version of the Ring, I am assuming the main plot points of the US version are lifted directly from the Japanese version. "
Well, Todd, if you thought the American version was a confusing mess, then don't watch the Japanese original. The Americans *did* import the idea, because there wasn't much of a script to work with. It showed some, explained nothing and wasn't scary. Quite like most Japanese movies, but particularly their horror movies.
Posted By: Kragar (Guest) on January 31, 2008 at 06:05 AM
the economy tanked??? wake up people. Bush's tax cuts in 2003 led this economy to great heights over the last five years. If anything, the easy credit provided by the central planners, i.e. Greenspan created the credit crunch you are now seeing. Oh yeah, and the Democrats in Congress who years ago pushed Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to push more people into homes even if they couldn't afford them.
Yeah, I get it, you watch MOVIES, and therefore are grounded in reality. Maybe read the Wall Street Jornal once in a while and realize that how the Hollywood left portrays the world isn't how it really is.
Posted By: Guest#3435 (Guest) on January 31, 2008 at 11:19 AM
Darth Mortis: I enjoyed your rant, and cannot argue with your assesments at all. However I would like to offer a different take on the box office, other than people just getting dumber. I think the fact that these "stupid" movies seem to do so well in harsh times, is maybe because with the state of the world being what it is, people may be looking to the entertainment industry as more of an escape from reality than ever before. I'm thinking in times of world turmoil, people do not want to see intelligent story and character driven films, especially of the variety that is dealing with stuff you see on the news everyday. Instead I offer that they just want to get away from it all for a at least a short period of time. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a sad day when Meet the Spartans is #1 at the box office.
And to Krager: thank you for saving me the trouble of continually pausing at the original J-Horror movies every time I pass them in the video store. Much appreciated.
Posted By: Todd V (Guest) on January 31, 2008 at 01:57 PM
I agree with you about Robert Englund. Him and Freddy Krueger are synonymous (sometimes a bit detrimental). I was watching V a while back, and couldn't understand why they didn't get Freddy to just invade those bastard's dreams and massacre the lot of them.
Posted By: G-Walla (Guest) on January 31, 2008 at 03:52 PM
Guest#3435: "Maybe
read the Wall Street Jornal once in a while and realize that how the Hollywood
left portrays the world isn't how it really is." Yeah, like Wall Street's brilliant revelation that inflation is steady if you don't count food or energy. Talk about being removed from reality. "Bush's tax cuts in 2003 led this economy to great heights over the last five years." Ha! Slashing or eliminating health benefits is what boosted corporate profits, and only major stockholders enjoyed the great heights of the Bush economy.
Posted By: Jason (Guest) on January 31, 2008 at 05:33 PM
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