Distribution »
Tyler Perry, Potential Oscar Nominee?
Filed under: Drama, Awards, Lionsgate Films, RumorMonger, Distribution
Until a month or so ago, I didn't realize that Tyler Perry's next film, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf, was based on an acclaimed play. No, even with a cast that included Thandie Newton, Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington, Loretta Devine, Macy Gray and Janet Jackson among others, I had just assumed that we were looking at another tone-deaf gospel-laced melodrama. (To date, I've seen all but one of his feature films, so believe me when I say that they're identical in both content and execution.)Colored Girls might be something to contend with, though. Left with little to push for awards this fall beyond maybe Ryan Reynolds in Buried (if they're feeling frisky, and I hope that they are), Lionsgate has moved the film's release up by two months, from January '11 to November 5 -- a vote of confidence if ever I saw one.
Then again, nobody's seen the thing yet, but maybe, just maybe, Perry leveled his direction out this time. If so, let's just hope that he doesn't let Madea accept any awards on his behalf...
Why Video-On-Demand Might Save Movies (and Movie Theaters)
Filed under: Distribution, Home Entertainment, Movie Marketing
My dad is old, and he kind of looks like W.C. Fields. He's old enough that there was a time in his life when people probably thought he actually was W.C. Fields. His favorite movie is Doctor Zhivago, and I'm pretty sure he hasn't enjoyed a movie since (he walked out of The Dark Knight in favor of Mamma Mia! And he walked out of Mamma Mia! in favor of a ham sandwich). He's not much of a movie-goer, but if you asked him which recent film is about "A swat team sent into a pitch black apartment building where a virus that turns people into demons is raging," he'd instantly be able to tell you that it's Rec 2, the plot of which he was intimately familiar with a month before its theatrical release. That's because my dad aimlessly watches a lot of television, and in his endless quest to find C-SPAN he rolls his eyes across the Magnolia Pictures "Early Screening" tab embedded in Time Warner Cable's VOD menus several dozen times a month.
In October of 2007 Magnolia inaugurated their "Ultra VOD" program by allowing cable subscribers to watch Brian De Palma's Redacted prior to its appearance in cinemas, and have since made approximately 75 films a year available to rent directly through VOD services. The vast majority of those titles have been made available day & date with their theatrical bows, but only a chosen few have received the "Ultra" service and been beamed exclusively into viewers living rooms for $10.99 a pop ($9.99 in standard definition). And my dad is a perfect example of why Magnolia would be interested in providing customers with early access to much-anticipated titles for less than the cost of a movie ticket.
Central Florida: The Hub of 'Holywood' for Faith-Based Flicks
Filed under: Independent, Distribution, Exhibition, DIY/Filmmaking, Movie Marketing, Religious
Faith-based movie production companies are heading in flocks to central Florida to film. The weather is great, the local churches have plenty of volunteers at the ready, the state offers financial incentives, and the theme parks are staffed with actors looking for a big break. Plus, as one local filmmaker puts it, "We want to get the 'L' out of Hollywood." Zing! According to the Orlando Sentinel, which has a full rundown of these small indies filming in the Sunshine State, the help from local churches can be crucial, from just offering an extra set of hands to congregants who offer up their homes for locations. The Passion of the Christ benefited from marketing directly to churches and religious groups, who often bought tickets in bulk, but these smaller films have taken it one step further because churches themselves are becoming production companies and sometimes the theaters themselves.
Tupac Shakur Movie Adds Oscar-Nominated Writers
Filed under: Drama, Deals, Scripts, Distribution, Newsstand
After the 2009 kerfuffle between Afeni Shakur's Amaru Entertainment and Morgan Creek was settled, production was set to begin this September on the Tupac Shakur biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua (Brooklyn's Finest, Shooter, Training Day). According to Vulture, shooting has been put off until mid-November, probably because Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson have been brought on for rewrites. The two screenwriters earned themselves an Oscar nomination for their screenplay Nixon in 1995, and also wrote Ali together.Rivele and Wilkinson are taking the biopic in a different direction; while it was previously a more traditional and linear tale of Shakur's life, it will now "center on the last day of Tupac's life, flashing back to show the final four years leading up to it."
The 1996 unsolved murder Shakur, the rapper, actor, and poet, has been the subject of much speculation and conspiracy theories over the years. (Some people have even "seen" the slain rapper, much like others have has Elvis sightings. Those are my favorite conspiracy theorists.)
Year's Most Disgusting Film Pulled from Festival Over Controversial Content
Filed under: Distribution
This will certainly rub some people the wrong way and clearly already has. According to The Guardian, Westminster council gave a thumbs down to A Serbian Film deeming its violent sexual imagery unacceptable. Director Srdjan Spasojevic isn't pleased not only because he calls the material in question justified, but because the ruling means his film won't be shown during London's FrightFest film festival on Sunday as planned.A Serbian Film is about Milos, a retired porn star who's lured back into the industry out of desperation to support his wife and son. What begins as a standard day on the job turns into a twisted version of the industry Milos once knew when children are thrown into the equation. But that's not even the worst of it. All you've got to do is head over to the film's Wikipedia page to get a spoiler-packed taste of the British Board of Film Classification's issue with the production.
However, the director claims a scene involving "newborn porn," in which a newborn baby is raped, is entirely defensible. "This is a diary of our own molestation by the Serbian government," he explained. "It's about the monolithic power of leaders who hypnotise you to do things you don't want to do. You have to feel the violence to know what it's about." That defense apparently doesn't quite do it for the BBFC because the council is demanding 49 individual cuts are made to the film, which will result in the loss of four minutes of footage. A council rep said, "The board recognises that the images are intended to shock, but the sexual and sexualised violence goes beyond what is acceptable under current BBFC guidelines [for an 18-certificate]."
Indie Roundup: 'Street Games, 'Want Money,' 'Red Hill'
Filed under: Deals, New Releases, Distribution, Cinematical Indie
Indie Roundup is your weekly guide to what's new and upcoming in the world of independent film. Pictured above: Ryan Kwanten in Red Hill (see Deals after the jump).
Opening / Expanding. Why not try something different and head to the art house for the last weekend of the month? Among the limited releases that are opening or expanding:
- Centurion. The latest from Neil Marshall (The Descent) is a bracingly violent adventure. See Scott Weinberg's review.
- Mesrine: Killer Instinct. The first part of an epic that explores the brutal life of a French gangster in the 60s and 70s.
- Daniel y Ana. The close relationship between a young woman, about to be married, and her teenage brother is put to the test when both are kidnapped.
- Change of Plans. A summer dinner party reveals secret affairs of the heart in a comedy by Daniele Thompson.
- Get Low. Robert Duvall gives an extraordinary performance as a recluse come to settle affairs with his very unusual funeral plans; Bill Murray is an accommodating funeral home owner; with Lucas Black and Sissy Spacek. Expands onto 570 screens. Check Scott Weinberg's review.
Jim Carrey's Gay Prison Flick is Finally Coming Out!
Filed under: Comedy, Gay & Lesbian, Independent, Romance, Sundance, RumorMonger, Distribution
For over a year now, the Jim Carrey-Ewan McGregor gay prison romance/comedy, I Love You, Phillip Morris, has been trying to secure a distribution deal despite boasting a pair of A-list stars. Why? Well, because even in 2010, it's awfully hard to market a gay prison romance/comedy such as this.After nothing happened at Sundance '09 and release dates this past February, March, April and July got bumped back, Roadside Attractions -- the force behind Winter's Bone, Good Hair and The Cove -- has taken over domestic distribution for the constantly troubled film and set their sights on December 3rd, right in the midst of awards season.
Even if Carrey and McGregor don't nab some nominations for themselves (they're both quite good in the film, but it's tough to call anything this early), it'll at least be a raunchy relief from all the super-serious Oscar fare that will be taking up screens around that time of year.
Theories on Why 'Scott Pilgrim' Bombed
Filed under: Universal, Fandom, Distribution, Movie Marketing
Why Scott Pilgrim vs. the World tanked articles were bound to flood the Internet after the well-reviewed flick's dismal opening weekend. Now that Scott Pilgrim has just wrapped up its second week in theaters, the constant chatter has somewhat fizzled out, but folks are still examining the divergence between critics and fans that has occurred more than once this year and could certainly effect the types of films the major studios pump out in the future.In The Wrap's latest article on the topic, the site suggests five reasons why the film failed. The list consists of exactly what you'd expect, but a few quotes liven up the subject a bit, especially the ones from folks on the marketing side of the industry.
The first finger is pointed at genre confusion. What is Scott Pilgrim? Is it an adventure, romance or comedy? Based on the promotional material, it's impossible to know. Come to think of it, even after seeing the film, there's no way to give it a clear-cut label. Scott Pilgrim is just something we've never seen before and while it should be praised for daring to be different, moviegoers are running scared. Even the film's posters sent out a confusing message. At first Cera looks super cool rocking out on his guitar, but then we see he's just a geek in the commercials. A marketing executive suggested, "They couldn't decide if this was a true superhero movie and they should make him look like a hero, or if it was an underdog story and you were supposed to root for him to get the girl."
Could Weta Make 'Panzer 88' the Next Big Thing?
Filed under: Horror, Deals, New Releases, Distribution, Newsstand, Peter Jackson, War
Peter Briggs' independent WWII horror film, Panzer 88 -- which revolves around a five-man German tank crew that encounters a supernatural beastie as they drive across Russia -- has been generating buzz since it first came to light earlier this year. Gary Kurtz, a producer on the first two beloved Star Wars movies is overseeing, which is a pretty big deal. It's being directed by Briggs, who's best known for co-writing the screenplay for Hellboy. Now comes the biggest news of all -- Richard Taylor and Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop have signed on to handle the film's physical production.
Although this story broke within a Geoff Boucher L.A. Times article covering Kurtz' attendance at the major Star Wars convention in Orlando two weeks ago, I'd received a heads-up email from the director with details of Weta Workshop's involvement ahead of time, and kept it quiet until everything was officially in place. That's now happened, so we can spread the news about this exciting project.
Get the scoop and dig into Briggs' personal story board art after the jump.
'Monster Dogs' Movie is Like Frankenstein Meets Doug from 'Up'
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, New Releases, Distribution
Straight from the Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot file comes this exclusive from Heat Vision -- Chris Wedge and his WedgeWorks company have secured the rights to make a film adaptation of Kirsten Bakis' Lives of the Monster Dogs.If you don't know what Lives of the Monster Dogs is about, you're probably wondering what's so strange about this story. Allow me to clarify. Monster Dogs is a Frankenstein-esque tale about a group of dog soldiers created by mad Prussian scientists -- who happen to be hiding out in Canada. The dogs revolt against their creators, start walking around on their hind legs and talking through voice-box devices, and then turn up in modern day NYC ... in 19th century garb. Yeah, how weird is this?
The film is told through the eyes of a college student who chronicles the dog's tragic lives as they slowly revert back to their animal form. Sounds uplifting ...
Wedge, director of Ice Age, is hoping the film will be his live-action feature debut. Adam Kline will adapt the novel, which Wedge read back in 1998 and always wanted to make into a feature. Naturally, this will be an effects-laden project (it's hard to find walking, talking dogs apparently), but I'll admit I'm intrigued by the idea of seeing this on a big screen. It's so weird it could either be brilliant or a total disaster.
No word as of yet when filming might commence. Kline just finished a rewrite on Artemis Fowl and Wedge is hard at work on The Legend of the Leaf Men, a film based on the kid's novel The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs.
Any interest in checking out a film version of Monster Dogs or does this one sound too weird for you? Share your opinion below.
The Best Songs That Are Inspired By Movies
Angelina Jolie Passes Up Awesome 3D Sci-Fi Epic 'Gravity' Because ...
Early Picks For The Best Screenplay Race
Will 'Avatar' Mark the End of the Re-Release?
And the Director of 'Clash of the Titans 2' Is...
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
