Christopher Campbell
- http://www.cinematical.com/bloggers/christopher-campbell/
Christopher Campbell recently received a Bachelor of Arts degree in film studies from Brooklyn College. Prior to (finally) finishing his undergrad, he studied film production at NYC's School of Visual Arts and then dropped out for an exciting career (on and off) in movie theaters. His writing has appeared in READ Magazine, Where Y'At New Orleans and Lo-Fi Magazine and on YCraze.com, Cinescene.com, BlogCritics.org, The Reeler and his own (mostly defunct) site, LowExpectation.com. He also currently writes for SpoutBlog.
by Christopher Campbell Jun 18th 2008 // 8:02PM
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Home Entertainment, Movie Marketing
I really, really love movie trailers, yet for some reason I can't stand movie commercials on television. Maybe it's because they're repeated over and over and over again, like the current spot for
The Love Guru, which has been driving me nuts all week. I hardly even watch TV (with no more
Lost til 2009, there's nothing good on
) and yet I believe I've seen it about a thousand times over the past few days.
Apparently I'm in the minority, however, because
TiVo has just released data showing that ads for movies are one of the few kinds of commercials that its subscribers actually watch rather than fast-forward through. The DVR company also revealed the movie that had the least-fast-forwarded spot:
Forgetting Sarah Marshall. A single FSM ad that ran during an episode of
The Office was the single-most popular (or, at least most-viewed) for the month of April. Second least-fast-forwarded in that month was a spot for
Hancock. Also considered "DVR-resistant" are those amusing Mac vs. PC commercials, while an ad for Ford that ran during an episode of
American Idol placed high for April, as well.
by Christopher Campbell Jun 18th 2008 // 5:32PM
Filed under: Foreign Language, Fandom, Cinematical Indie
They had me at "
Marvel Comics amusement park." They even had me at "
Brad Pitt-designed hotel and resort." But the good people of Dubai just won't stop trying to woo me with movie-related developments. Now they're saying: "Bollywood theme park." I got so excited that I almost prematurely bought my plane ticket. Then I realized that the thing isn't exactly constructed yet. Also, I thought about how unfamiliar I actually am with Bollywood films (I took a class, but was only taught so much) and realized it isn't
that attractive to someone like me. But for the millions and millions of Bombay-produced cinema fans, this is going to be huge.
Of course,
as pointed out in this Empire article, the idea is not for a general Bollywood-themed park. It's specifically related to the films of Yash Raj Entertainment. So, unfortunately, no
Mother India-based "Canal of Modernization" flume ride. Or
Lagaan-inspired cricket stadium. No
Hum Aapke Hain Koun-based women-in-drag show, either. Still, Yash Raj has put out some of the most popular Indian films of this decade, including
Bunty Aur Babli and
Dhoom. The latter (and its sequel) should be able to lend itself to a cool motorcycle-type ride.
by Christopher Campbell Jun 17th 2008 // 10:02PM
Filed under: Classics, Music & Musicals, MGM, Obits
I'm not the most knowledgeable man when it comes to dance, but I'm at least a little familiar with
Cyd Charisse. As everyone should be. Next to Ginger Rogers, she was possibly the most iconic female dancer in film history. Even those of us cinephiles who skip out on most dance musicals have at least seen her famous number from
Singin' in the Rain (above). A few years ago, when Moviefone counted down the
Top 10 Best Dance Scenes, it was #2 (just behind
Dirty Dancing).
Charisse
has died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 86, and she's hopefully joining old partners Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly for some of the best dance scenes ever seen up in heaven. With the former, she was paired up in
The Band Wagon,
Ziegfeld Follies and
Silk Stockings (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), and with the latter, she danced in
Brigadoon,
It's Always Fair Weather,
Invitation to Dance and, of course, in
Singin' in the Rain.
by Christopher Campbell Jun 17th 2008 // 2:38PM
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Horror, Awards, New Releases, Fandom
Apparently teens have short attention spans, evidenced by this year's nominees for the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, which
were announced this morning. Looking at the first two movie categories, Best Action Adventure Movie and Best Actor: Action Adventure, all the contenders (including
Iron Man,
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and
The Forbidden Kingdom) are from either May or late April of this year. I guess this summer's other movies, like
The Dark Knight,
The Incredible Hulk and
Hancock will just be ignored, since they're too late for this year and won't be remembered next year.
Another related thing that was revealed: actresses were not too prominent in action movies of that same period, because the category for Best Actress: Action Adventure looks back a little farther to Abigail Breslin in
Nim's Island, Rachel Bilson in
Jumper and (whoah, December? that was so long ago) Diane Kruger in
National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
by Christopher Campbell Jun 17th 2008 // 1:02PM
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Fandom, Lists
This week
Entertainment Weekly is
"Counting Down the New Movie Classics," listing the best films made in the past 25 years. The magazine claims that all 100 are good enough to be considered alongside the usual classics (you know, like
Citizen Kane,
Casablanca, etc.), but I guess that's relative. I wouldn't consider #99,
The Blair Witch Project, to be equated with
Poltergeist III, let alone
Psycho. But isn't that the fun of these lists? They fuel our excitement about cinema while also angering us that our favorites aren't higher up, or more commonly, that the films we hate most are included on any list, ever.
On the first day of the countdown,
EW shows us the bottom 25, which includes such masterpieces as
Terminator 2: Judgment Day,
Breaking the Waves,
In the Mood for Love and
Full Metal Jacket. When I saw that the last of these was only at #94, I got really excited, wondering what 93 films could possibly be better. And then I was shocked to see that so-so comedies like
Swingers and
Waiting for Guffman and the fine but poorly aged
Moonstruck placed higher. I almost didn't even see those titles, though, because I almost threw my computer when I saw that
Napoleon Dynamite was just ahead of
Back to the Future. Just another reason to hate
Napoleon Dynamite, I guess. Even the
Back to the Future sequels are better than
ND, but I'm going to now assume they don't even make it on this list.
#s 75-51 will be revealed tomorrow. I wonder what kind of delights and blasphemies will meet us then.
by Christopher Campbell Jun 17th 2008 // 11:02AM
Filed under: Paramount, Distribution, Dreamworks, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg
Over the weekend, Paramount Pictures International
went over the $1 billion mark, reportedly thanks to the success of its distribution of summer blockbusters
Iron Man ($210 million),
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($350 million) and
Kung Fu Panda ($41 million), as well as earlier releases
The Spiderwick Chronicles ($91 million),
Cloverfield ($90 million) and
No Country for Old Men ($86 million). Paramount is the first studio to reach a billion bucks in international grosses this year, and it did so faster than in 2007, when it didn't top the figure until late July.
But is it really fair for Paramount to be bragging so much?
On her Variety blog, Anne Thompson weighs in on the news, pointing out that all three of the studio's summer blockbusters were produced outside the main studio.
Indiana Jones was Lucasfilm;
Iron Man was Marvel;
Panda was DreamWorks Animation. Of course, Paramount deserves a lot of credit for the marketing of these films, but Thompson wonders what it will be like if DreamWorks really does break away soon. Fortunately it has a good looking slate for the next few years, thanks to next year's toy-based titles
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and
G.I. Joe, and then the next four or five Marvel Studios releases in 2010 and 2011.
by Christopher Campbell Jun 17th 2008 // 10:02AM
Filed under: Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, George Lucas, War
Late August was the last time
we mentioned George Lucas'
Red Tails, but considering the
Star Wars director has been wanting to make the film for decades, less than a year between reports is not too bad. Plus,
the new AP story about the film's preproduction couldn't come at a better time. People are currently talking about Spike Lee's upcoming African Americans in WWII film,
Miracle of St. Anna, and
Red Tails also focuses on blacks fighting in the war. Specifically it deals with the 332nd Fighter Group of the U.S. Army Air Corp., otherwise known as the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-black unit of pilots, bombardiers and navigators.
The AP story mostly features quotes from Tuskegee vets, who share their memories and their hopes for what the film will show. But there's also some minor updates courtesy of producer
Rick McCallum, who's reportedly now scouting locations in the Czech Republic and Italy. He says that Lucas is hoping to begin shooting later this year or early 2009 and that the script by
John Ridley (
Three Kings) "balances difficult and painful issues with what is, at its heart, the story of men with a dream to fly and serve their country." So, apparently the script is finished, yet it's still unclear who will be directing
Red Tails; the AP story almost seems to assume that Lucas will be holding the reigns himself.
by Christopher Campbell Jun 16th 2008 // 9:32PM
Filed under: Classics, Fandom, Exhibition, Lists
There are a few classic films that I simply refused to rent while growing up, specifically for the reason that I knew I should see them for the first time on a big screen. Of these, I managed to see both
2001: A Space Odyssey and
Blade Runner in a theater, while others, such as
Lawrence of Arabia and
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, were on television too often to ignore them on the small screen first. One film that I'm still dying to see in a theater is Terrence Malick's
Badlands. A few years ago I actually went to a special screening of the film in Connecticut, but it was disappointingly (understatement) projected from a DVD copy. Then two months ago it played one show at NYC's IFC Center, but I had to miss it for another engagement.
Last week
Entertainment Weekly presented an article/photo gallery titled
"23 Movies You'd Like to See on the Big Screen," which lists these kinds of films (there's actually many more than 23 cited), most of which should ONLY be seen on the big screen, as they were originally meant to be. The list includes obvious epic choices like
2001,
Lawrence of Arabia,
Gone With the Wind,
The Greatest Show on Earth and
The Ten Commandments, as well as other classics, like Malick's
Days of Heaven,
Casablanca,
Once Upon a Time in the West,
Star Wars,
High Society,
Halloween,
Singin' in the Rain,
To Kill a Mockingbird,
Psycho,
Oklahoma!,
The Music Man,
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
The Searchers,
Stagecoach and
The French Connection.
by Christopher Campbell Jun 16th 2008 // 7:02PM
Filed under: Obits
Eliot Asinof (1919-2008) - Writer - Author of the book "8 Men Out," which was made into the John Sayles film Eight Men Out, and the novel "Ten Second Jailbreak" which became the 1975 Charles Bronson film Breakout. He also appears in Eight Men Out and Sayles' Sunshine State. He died of complications of pneumonia June 10, in Hudson, New York. (NY Times)- Tim Russert (1950-2008) - News Commentator - Appears as himself in the documentaries Fahrenheit 9/11, Why We Fight, The Hunting of the President and Martial Law 9/11: Rise of the Police State. He died of a heart attack June 13, in Washington, D.C. (Washington Post)
- Keith Best (1922/1923-2008) - Engineer - Built the titular bridge of The Bridge on the River Kwai. He died of cancer June 1, in York, England. (The Press)
- Arthur Bloom (1920-2008) - Sound Technician - Sound recordist for Fame, Wall Street, Sophie's Choice, Brighton Beach Memoirs, The World According to Garp, Married to the Mob, One Trick Pony and the music documentary Festival. He was also a boom operator for The Warriors, Kramer vs. Kramer, Starting Over,The Prisoner of Second Avenue and The Boys in the Band. He died June 10. (Entertainment Insiders)
- Algis Budrys (1934-2008) - Writer - Author of the novels "Master of the Hounds," which became the 1972 film To Kill a Clown, starring Alan Alda and Blythe Danner, and "Who?," which was made into a 1973 film of the same name (also known as Robo Man), starring Elliott Gould. He died of metastatic malignant melanoma June 9, in Evanston, Illinois. (Chicago Tribune)
by Christopher Campbell Jun 16th 2008 // 6:35PM
Filed under: Comedy, Music & Musicals, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels
Movie-turned-musicals didn't do so well at the Tony Awards last night, but that doesn't mean people are going to stop adapting films for the stage. For instance,
according to The Daily Telegraph,
John Cleese is turning his hit movie
A Fish Called Wanda into a musical. He's currently writing it with his 24-year-old daughter, Camilla, who he claims is even funnier than he is. He also jokes that they're going to attempt to write the songs themselves, but he thinks they're going to be no good, so he'll likely be bringing in a lyricist. For now, in its early stages, Cleese says they're simply working out the story (which shouldn't be
too difficult, as it already exists in film form).
The Daily Telegraph somewhat speculates that Cleese is working on the project for two reasons: one, he didn't make any money off
Spamalot, because he apparently agreed to waive his royalties, thinking the musical adaptation of
Monty Python and the Holy Grail wouldn't do well; two, he's currently divorcing from his third wife. Tabloid gossip aside, and ignoring the fact that Cleese may have been 'taking the piss', are we ready for
A Fish Called Wanda: The Musical? And if that's a success, would a
Fierce Creatures: The Musical be not far behind?
The Return of Jessica Alba?
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