One of the most memorable moments of my 2005 TIFF experience was the Q&A after Perpetual Motion(Wu qiong dong). Director Ying Ning talked about her erotic chicken feet scene, which was placed in the center of a movie about four women who come together to ring in the New Year. The scene depicts the women devouring chicken feet in an almost pornographic fashion. Ning explained that Chinese laws are so strict that the scene was the only way she could add an erotic element to the film. The thought had never even occurred to me.
China has a strong hand in its film industry, and I am therefore not surprised to report that Warner Brothers International Cinemas is pulling out of policy changes that have come into effect. In 2002, the media giant began to open cinemas across through a policy that allowed for 75% ownership in select cities. The new change in policy states that control must be given to Chinese partners. Negotiations were futile, so goodbye, WBIC.
This is sure to have an effect on Chinese cinema, as ticket sales increased 30% just in the last year, and WBIC has indeed improved the state of Chinese cinemas. While it is a bit of a blow to Warner Brothers, I have to give props for trying to protect its interests. In Canada, media influence is a continual debate, so I'd like to see China kick some cinema ass on its own. That being said, have they shot themselves in the foot?
The bees have been buzzing for a couple days now with word that the Village Voice, once one of the great bastions of print film criticism, is gutting its film staff. Critic Michael Atkinson was given the boot a couple days ago, and now film editor Dennis Lim has also been shown the door, leaving only J Hoberman (pictured, right) to hold down the film criticism fort at the Voice. Gawker wrote up Atkinson's firing earlier this week, with a scathing indictment of the shakedown going on at the Voice, noting that the old guard is being replaced with an awful lot of friends of Voice EIC David Blum. Anthony Kaufman is mourning, especially, the loss of Lim, who, as Kaufman notes, has been a champion for independent film over the years. The IFC Blog wrote up the Voice makeover as well, bemoaning the loss of one of the few reliable print outlets that bothered to cover indie film . And David Poland, natch, has a write-up on the sackings as well.
As interesting as the string of firings over at the Voice are to follow -- including the rather shocking canning of Robert Christgau, the Voice's venerable top music critic -- what's really going to be interesting is to see what happens there over the next few months. Will the old vanguard of Village Voice critics be replaced with more generic voices writing across publications? Will the Voice's coverage of independent film be silenced as a result of the turnover?
If somebody were to say to me "Mark, I'd like you to choose a writer-director and team him up with a movie producer to create the craziest, most whacked-out, amazing geek film possible," it'd be quite likely I'd respond "give me Neil Gaiman and Guillermo del Toro, please." In fact, I really can't imagine a more utterly insane yet amazingly talented union. Is it possible for this geek joy-dream to come true? Apparently, it is, as del Toro has agreed to produce (or at least executive produce) Neil Gaiman's Death: The High Cost of Living should the project ever find a real green-light. Gaiman himself would direct the project, because he doesn't want anyone save himself screwing up his classic work. Warner Brothers has the rights to the comic (as it was produced under a DC label and they've got a deal with DC comics), and as of right now nobody is sure which WB division would handle the project. Let's hope they can come to some sort of agreement, because I don't think the world can go much longer without a Neil Gaiman/Guillermo del Toro team-up. I know I can't, anyway.
Oh the heels of Avi Arad's semi-departure from Marvel,* a bit of corporate rearranging has been done. Isaac Perlmutter, Marvel's CEO, now has some company in the executive-ing business as the Office of the Chief Executive has been expanded to three positions. Perlmutter has nothing to worry about; he will still be sitting atop the mountain, he's just getting a few new vice-presidents. David Maisel will be based out of Los Angeles, and will handle Marvel's "media activities, interactive businesses, video gaming, corporate development and long range planning." John Turitzin, who has worked as Marvel's general counsel for a few years now, will base himself out of Marvel's New York headquarters and will focus on licensing and publishing issues.
It is interesting to watch Marvel grow in the current superhero movie boom. Marvel has varied in size throughout the years through a few boom-bust cycles ... I just hope they don't over-reach themselves yet again. The movie fad will not last forever, but presumably Marvel is well aware of this and will plan accordingly.
*He left, but only to found a production company which will work very, very closely with Marvel.
Now that all the rapid-fire excitement over who did what to whom in the Tom Cruise/Paula Wagner split from longtime home Paramount has quieted down a little, Variety has slipped in an article that actually discusses something of relevance: Who gets the projects? C/W had numerous projects in the works for Paramount, and even more rights to books and scripts sitting on a shelf somewhere gathering dust (ah, Hollywood, where all the cool kids snatch up hot properties before anyone else can get them, only to sit on them ad infinitum).
According to the Variety piece, C/W had acquired some promising properties, including a script being written for Cruise by A Good Year scribe Marc Klein, and Carter Beats the Devil, a novel about a magician being adapted by Little Miss Sunshine screenwriter Michael Arndt (this must be the big season for films about magicians, what with The Illusionist and The Prestige both opening soon). For those of you who are actually interested in the business side of Hollywood, the article gives some interesting background on the effects of the executive shift at Paramount under Brad Grey. At any rate, it certainly beats reading yet another "they said/no, we said" story about the C/W-Paramount split.
Last time I reported on the confusing family known as Viacom, I mentioned that MTV Films and Nickelodeon Films were being adopted (consolidated) by Paramount Pictures. Well, I was sorta wrong. In continuing my allegory, let me just say that MTV and Nickelodeon are not being sheltered so much as they are growing up -- although like many young grown-ups these days, they will continue to live with their parents.
In case you ever paid attention to the corporate logos preceding an MTV or Nickelodeon movie, you likely noticed that in addition to the MTV or Nickelodeon logos, the Paramount Pictures logo also flashed on the screen. This is because Paramount distributed the films. But now MTV and Nickelodeon are adults and can distribute themselves, just like Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics and Dreamworks. They're still part of the Paramount/Viacom family, of course, but they are trusted more than they were as children (er, production companies). Best of all, like the adultalescents they are, MTV and Nickelodeon get to retain their cool status as brands for teens and kids, respectively.
Producer Scott Aversano has been hired as president of both labels.
While it's been understood for a while now that Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney were going to break up, the official date is now set: Come August 1, that two-timing Clooney will (in a business sense, of course) move in with Good Night, and Good Luck writing and producing partner Grant Heslov and create a new label, called Smoke House. Clooney's departure will mean the end of new projects from Section 8, the production company that he and Soderbergh started in 2000 "with an eye toward nurturing offbeat and 'message' movies and TV projects." Don't worry about Steve, though -- in fact, his desire to focus more on directing and less on the business side of movie-making was one of the reasons for the shake-up. Despite the change of partner and office space, the move probably isn't that big of a change for Clooney: Smoke House, like Section 8, will be based on the Warner's lot, and the new company has already signed a long-term first-look deal with the studio. Plus, Heslov has been involved in Section 8 almost from the beginning, so this is more of a practical change than a revolution in focus or interest.
I know a lot of you out there in Cinematical readerland are not big fans of View Askew filmmaker Kevin Smith. And while I understand where you are coming from and I don't blame you at all, I generally disagree with you on this one. I dig the guy and his work, and I'm glad to see him returning to Clerks. Sure, he can sound a bit abrasive and churlish from time to time, but he far more often sounds genuine, warm, and entertaining ... at least, when he is not responding to internet critics. I challenge anyone to listen to the commentary tracks on the Askew films and still dislike Kevin Smith. But hey, part of the glory of movies is we all have our different tastes and can violently disagree with each other via the internet (HINT: this is my incredibly subtle way of suggesting you use the comment feature at the bottom of this post).
In a recent interview with SuperheroHype, Kevin Smith finally closed the door tight on the persistent Green Hornet movie rumors. Yes, he said he was done with the project months ago, but rumors continued to insist he was merely pushing it back, not letting it go. Smith, however, again acknowledged his inability to properly handle such an action intensive flick. He likes what he does, he is good at what he does, and he doesn't want to ruin a Superhero flick because it isn't his strength. Said Smith: "I like to tell stories about people sitting around and talking to each other and what not. And that's really what I'm kind of good at and most people would argue that I'm not even that good at that to begin with. So the notion of doing Green Hornet is just not appealing to me."
All hell broke loose at Disney yesterday, and when the dust cleared, 650 people -- including Nina Jacobsen, the company's well-regarded head of live-action production -- had been canned, and movie production had been cut by over 30%. Though the fallout from the changes (particularly the firing of Jacobsen) will no doubt resonate for weeks, the facts are these: Disney is turning its focus inward, towards the Disney brand in general, and "emphasiz[ing] blockbuster franchise films over more adult fare," as evidence by the reduction of "esoteric" arm Touchstone's output to only two or three films per year.
Though I'd argue with that characterization of Touchstone (in addition to Hidalgo, The Village and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, the label also produced Sweet Home Alabama and The Hot Chick), it's a small detail. The primary impetus behind all remains Disney's determination to concern itself with the broader potential of its successful branded franchises. For example, "A hit like Pirates of the Caribbean ... can spawn video games, action figures, cable TV shows and ... give new life to an old Disney theme park attraction." It's still far too early to judge the long-term impact of these changes, but it's hard not to see the decision to replace Jacobsen with Oren Aviv, a man whose last job with the company had him in charge of marketing, among other things, as a sign of things to come. And you thought that list of POTC products was a joke!
Two weeks ago, the internet community was abuzz with the news that noted director Bryan Singer backing off from Logan's Run, a project he had been attached to for quite some time. This news rooted itself in a comment reportedly made by Singer himself, who claimed he would not be working on the project.* However, Singer is now disputing the rumors in a recent interview with iFMagazine. When asked, he insisted "it's not dead," and said "It's too magnificent. The world we developed and the things we pre-vized [pre-visualized] (are) too extraordinary."
Singer's explanation basically goes along these lines: He's really, really busy, and has this whole enormous Supermanproject going on, so pretending to know anything about a time table for another film would be disingenuous. Especially since Superman Returns might have a sequel in the works very soon. I'll be the first to admit this is an entirely legitimate defense: Time demands are tricky to manage when you've got a lot on your plate -- just ask Kevin Smith or Joss Whedon. In the meantime, fans can cling to the hope that Singer has not abandoned Logan's Run ... at least, not yet.
*At least "not for some time." Which in Hollywood lingo often means "I'm going to ignore it until everyone forgets about it."
If you were Ron Howard at this stage in your career, just coming off yet another successful film venture, you'd probably have your choice of projects to pursue, with studios, actors, and writers queuing up to work with you. With such a powerful scope, what do you suppose are the odds you'd choose J. Michael Straczynski's thriller The Changeling? Apparently, the odds are pretty decent, as Variety is now reporting The Changeling is among the "short list" of projects being considered by Howard (who has yet to sign on for the next Da Vinci flick, by the way).The movie, which joins the list of quite a number of film projects named Changeling, is the story of a mother who prays for the return of her kidnapped child -- only to have some freaky demon look-alike substitute child returned instead.
Like many good horror/thriller flicks involving demon children, this one claims to be based on true events. I can see it, can't you? I clearly remember my Sunday school teacher telling me that God answers all prayers ... sometimes He says "yes," sometimes He says "no," and sometimes He says "hey, how about I replace your child with demon spawn?"
Funny, I've always just figured that MTV Films and Nickelodeon Films were divisions under Paramount. Alas, I was wrong -- just because they are distributed by Paramount doesn't mean that Paramount runs them. They are in fact separately run companies under Paramount's parent corporation, Viacom. Damn, aren't media corporations confusing? Let's think of it this way: Paramount is the older half-brother from Mom's previous marriage, and MTV and Nickelodeon are the little siblings from Mom's newer marriage to Viacom (Personally, my favorite of her husbands was that oil tycoon Gulf and Western).
Well, now Paramount is talking to step-daddy Viacom about becoming the legal guardian of its little brother and sister. Okay, I think I'm making it all even more confusing. Basically, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Films will be run by Paramount Pictures, thereby putting all of Viacom's film production eggs into one basket. Okay, enough metaphors. You get it.
The real issue here is whether or not the divisions will retain their cable-channel-associated names once they are consolidated with Paramount. I'm assuming they will, since they are such important name brands for the movies produced or acquired by them. After all, it definitely saves a bit on movie marketing to have MTV and Nickelodeon's core audiences simply attracted to the studio name.
Now that CBS is no longer part of Viacom (it happened early this year, where you been?), and thereby no longer affiliated with Paramount Pictures, it needs a movie studio of its own. The company's CEO, Les Moonves, discussed this need at a PricewaterhouseCoopers event on Wednesday, stating that they are looking into the prospect, which would consist of either the acquisition of another already existing company or the establishment of a brand new entity. The one thing that is for certain is that the studio will start off fairly small with 6-8 productions a year with lower budgets of $20-30 million each. No blockbusters just yet.
As surprised as I was about Viacom's split, I have been mostly curious about the CBS Corp. half of the deal being without a film division. After all, no media corporation is complete without one. CBS only came away from the split with the CBS and UPN networks (which will soon no longer exist, but CBS will own half of the new CW channel), the television studios of CBS, Paramount and King World, and the Paramount Parks. I guess with nothing but TV experience, Moonves might not be the greatest new hope for film production, but every time there's talk of a new studio, I always dream that it can become a saving grace for the quality of new movies. I imagine something along the lines of the Robert Evans era at Paramount, of course. Instead we're likely to get Survivor: The Movie.
When casting for a big budget blockbuster-hopeful, it is not at all unusual for studios to lock up all of the major actors with sequel deals in the original contract. It is no surprise, therefore, that the cast of Superman Returns all have multi-picture deals with the studio. One key member of the team, however, may not be interested in returning for another film -- director Bryan Singer. It isn't nearly as imperative to return the director, as fans mostly only pay attention to what they can see on the screen, but Singer is seen as a valuable asset to the comic book film community after he built the successful X-Men franchise.
Singer has suggested he will take the franchise "one at a time," saying he and the Suits are currently discussing sequel possibilities but have yet to make any decisions. It wouldn't surprise anyone to learn that one -- or both -- sides are waiting to learn the financial success of the first before committing to the partnership for a second time. Singer sums up his feelings thusly: "I have to take a mental break and actually not have any schedule demands. I don't vacation well, so I'll probably want to go back to at some point, but that's a potentially huge movie and I'm not ready to dive into it right now."
One of the most memorable moments of my 2005 TIFF experience was the Q&A after Perpetual Motion (Wu qiong dong). Director Ying Ning talked about her erotic chicken feet scene, which was placed in the center of a movie about four women who come together to ring in the New Year. The scene depicts the women devouring chicken feet in an almost pornographic fashion. Ning explained that Chinese laws are so strict that the scene was the only way she could add an erotic element to the film. The thought had never even occurred to me.
The bees have been buzzing for a couple days now with word that the Village Voice, once one of the great bastions of print film criticism, is gutting its film staff. Critic 
If somebody were to say to me "Mark, I'd like you to choose a writer-director and team him up with a movie producer to create the craziest, most whacked-out, amazing geek film possible," it'd be quite likely I'd respond "give me 
Oh the heels of 
Now that all the rapid-fire excitement over who did what to whom in the Tom Cruise/Paula Wagner split from longtime home Paramount has quieted down a little, Variety has slipped in 
Last time I reported on the confusing family known as Viacom, I mentioned that 
While it's been understood for a while now that 
I know a lot of you out there in Cinematical readerland are not big fans of View Askew filmmaker 
Two weeks ago, the internet community was abuzz with the news that noted director 
If you were 
Now that CBS is no longer part of Viacom (it happened early this year, where you been?), and thereby no longer affiliated with Paramount Pictures, it needs a movie studio of its own. The company's CEO, 
When casting for a big budget blockbuster-hopeful, it is not at all unusual for studios to lock up all of the major actors with sequel deals in the original contract. It is no surprise, therefore, that the cast of 
