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On Demand: Epix Strikes New Deals
Filed under: Lionsgate Films, MGM, Paramount, Home Entertainment
It's getting mighty crowded in the premium "video on demand" space. It feels like everyone and his brother wants to offer you movies to watch whenever you want -- but there's always a catch. Epix is an online service created as a joint venture by Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM. Epix features recent titles from the three studios in high definition before they're released on DVD or Blu-ray, but only if you subscribe to a cable service that offers it. As I wrote last June, Epix needed to convince cable TV operators to bundle the service into an already-existing package and thus avoid a separate, additional monthly fee for the consumer. Since then, Verizon's FiOS and Cox Communications signed on the dotted line, and now Mashable reports that Mediacom Communications, the seventh-largest cable TV provider in the U.S., will become an additional outlet in April. The big boys in cable -- Comcast and Time Warner Cable -- are still missing, however, and the idea to make it free to the consumer hasn't panned out so far. Verizon offers it as a premium channel for $9.99 per month. Like Mediacom, Cox will begin offering the service until April, so we'll have to wait to see if it's priced as a separate premium channel or bundled as part of a package
When I checked this morning, the newest offerings at Epix are My Bloody Valentine, The Pink Panther 2, New in Town, Defiance, and The Babysitter. Epix has a solid library and also has plans to offer a new dramatic series called Tough Trade with Sam Shepherd.
Does anyone currently subscribe to Epix? Do you like it? Is it worth the 10 bucks a month?
Sam Mendes to Direct the 23rd James Bond Film?
Filed under: Action, Deals, MGM, RumorMonger, Daniel Craig
Update: Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood has gone on record to say that the talks Sam Mendes are currently in concern a consultancy status, not outright directing duties. The likely motive behind this involves the contract between MGM and Bond owners EON; were EON to officially hire a director, the troubled MGM would have to issue first payment or else EON could take their property to another studio, thus the consultant title for now.I guess MGM wasn't bluffing when they set out to dispel the rumors that the next James Bond film would be delayed due to the studio's rather public financial woes. The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog is now indicating that American Beauty and Away We Go director Sam Mendes is in negotiations to bring the legendary spy to the big screen for a 23rd outing. THR's assertion is that production will move forward on the untitled Bond film regardless of their current For Sale status as a studio.
Writing duties currently lay in the hands of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, both of whom were behind the word processor for Martin Campbell's Casino Royale and Marc Forster's Quantum of Solace, along with British screenwriter Peter Morgan, a man best-known for penning political dramas along the lines of The Queen and Frost/Nixon. Aside from Morgan and the now 'in talks' Sam Mendes, the rest of the core production team remains the same, with Daniel Craig of course reprising his role as the titular super spy.
James Bond Delayed Due to MGM Woes
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, MGM, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, James Bond, Remakes and Sequels, Daniel Craig
UPDATED: MGM says the scripting process is still in progress & that Bond is not delayed. It's going to be a little longer before 007 steps in front of cameras again. According to Total Film (and passed along via MI6), Bond's 23rd adventure has been delayed by MGM's financial woes. After all, someone has to pay for all those new gadgets and when the home office is on the block, where do the new ones come from? While both Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench have hinted that the film will begin filming in late 2010, and will aim for a 2011 release, Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli hinted that the shooting schedule can only be decided once MGM settles its accounts. "Well, our timeline's a little up in the air what with the situation at MGM, so we have to be flexible. We just don't know enough about the situation to comment, but we know it's uncertain."
And if you've been sitting here since Peter Morgan took the screenwriting job last summer, dreaming of a script that's at least a draft or two in, guess again. Wilson said it was far too early to start talking about where Bond will end up after he found his solace. "Well ... we've hired the writers and we've been working with them but it's just too early to say anything. You know, often at this stage, I find myself saying, 'Oh, we're gonna do this and that', then six months from now you'll say, 'That isn't in the film at all - you told me it was ...' I think we're at the stage where a lot of ideas are floating around that sound very good, but whether they make the final cut, who knows?"
Scenes We Love: Christmas Morning with 'The Thin Man'
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Mystery & Suspense, MGM, Scenes We Love
Between Monika and myself, The Thin Man gets plenty of love here at Cinematical, and a few years back Jeffrey included the classic film on a list of non-Christmas movies set during the holiday season. But this time of year I can't help coming back to everyone's favorite alcoholic detective couple, Nick and Nora Charles (played by William Powell and -- swoon -- Myrna Loy), and sharing my appreciation for their witty and drunken ways. If only one person is turned on to this movie with each posting about it, I feel my work at this blog is good for moviegoing-kind. And since tis the season for giving, I'm glad to be able to gift an introduction to or a memory of the first of their six film installments.
Ironically, Nick and Nora may not seem the most clearly Christmas-spirited folks (they tend to prefer an 's' at the end of their spirit), and in The Thin Man, Nora is even driven to admit she'll kill the next person who wishes her a "Merry Christmas." They're not scrooges, though. Much of the film is set during the holiday, and this shows in the Charles' activities. Nora is introduced carrying -- and spilling -- a stack of wrapped presents, while Nick is introduced sipping on a yuletide cocktail (okay, so his drinking likely has nothing to do with Christmas). There's also hungover tree trimming, boozey holiday partying and some wonderful Christmas Eve banter about gift expectations.
Blu-ray Review: Gone With the Wind
Filed under: MGM, Fandom, Home Entertainment
Packed in a velvet box filled with three discs full of bonus features, a 20-page reproduction of the original program, a 40-page book about the production, eight art prints, and a CD sampler, one might accuse Warner Home Video of gilding the lily for their premier release of Gone With the Wind on Blu-ray. Amazingly, however, the set manages to seem like exactly the amount of excess that would be necessary to properly celebrate one of American cinema's earliest masterpieces. Newly remastered in high definition and arriving with some eight hours of supplemental material, Gone With the Wind remains a classic by which all others should be judged, and now the same can be said of its home-entertainment iteration.
Initially I considered covering this film in Cinematical's "Shelf Life" column, but watching just a few of the film's opening scenes I knew it would be redundant to re-christen Gone With the Wind as amazing,and disingenuous to call it anything less. Vivien Leigh is at her fiercely unlikeable best as Scarlett O'Hara, the spoiled, obstinate and irresistible oldest daughter of the Southern O'Hara family. Discovering that her intended husband Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) has committed himself to the decidedly less fiery Melanie (Olivia De Havilland), Scarlett is apoplectic, but she has little time to lament her loss when the Civil War begins.
Passing from one suitor to the next in some ritualistic pretense of domesticity, Scarlett commits herself only to her family's financial success, only to realize that the money she earns comes at the price of the love of Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), a pragmatic and perfectly suited companion who falls head over heels for her firebrand charms.
'The Hobbit' Begins Casting This Week
Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, MGM, Warner Brothers, Scripts, Family Films, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Peter Jackson, Remakes and Sequels
If you're starting to be a little burned out by casting rumors for assorted dwarves, elves, and a hapless Baggins, you haven't seen anything yet. Because according to The Hollywood Reporter and Peter Jackson, The Hobbit is putting out a casting call, and holding auditions as of right now. All roles are up for grabs save Gandalf, which is being reserved for Sir Ian McKellen. (I would imagine Andy Serkis has his spot reserved too, and I would hope Hugo Weaving will return as Elrond.)Jackson notes that being open to any actor or actress who might wander in is how he discovered Kate Winslet, Orlando Bloom, and Saoirse Ronan, and he has no intention of bowing to big name pressure. "[The Lord of the Rings films] have never been a star-driven vehicle. The star is Tolkien and the world he created. We are not under any pressure. We want to find the right people. Casting someone to portray a hobbit is not as easy as you might imagine. They have to have a particular type of physical appearance and a sensibility. And the same with an elf or a dwarf. These are fantastical characters, but you've got to find the right people to play them, the right humans to translate these characters." So, start the rumor mill going now, and choose who you will champion for their respective roles. I'm sticking with Martin Freeman for Bilbo, and Gerard Butler as Bard the Bowman for now. I'll have to think about the dwarves ...
Go below the jump for more Middle Earth news
'The Hobbit' May Be Pushed to 2012
Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, MGM, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Fandom, Family Films, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Peter Jackson, Remakes and Sequels
The journey back to Middle Earth is taking longer than anyone anticipated, even its filmmakers. Peter Jackson revealed in an interview with Movie Reporter * that they're hoping to complete the second draft of The Hobbit script by the beginning of next year. Once that's done, they can calculate budget and set a start date, but even the most enthusiastic estimates mean that filming would begin in middle to late 2010. That's not even factoring in the MGM money woes, and how that could affect budgeting, though signs point to Warner Bros picking up the entire tab. Jackson was silent as to whether the original release dates would hold, but I think we're all familiar enough with the magic of movie making to know that we're unlikely to see The Hobbit in December 2011. Remember, that was the date given for the first half of the film. It's more likely you'll see Part 1 in December 2012, and Part 2 in December 2013.
If you contemplate those numbers with a sinking heart, you're not alone. For me, it's not that 2012 or 2013 are particularly far away (you know how the years speed by the older you get!), but that so much can happen to a film, its writers and directors, and its potential cast members. I'm certain The Hobbit will happen, but it can't hurt to send some geeky good vibes its way, and hope it gains some speed and cast announcements very soon.
[*I've linked to TheOneRing.net, which translated the German interview for the rest of the Internet, and allowed the story to be subsequently picked up in Variety.]
MGM Studios Officially For Sale
Filed under: Deals, Executive shifts, Lionsgate Films, MGM, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Distribution, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, James Bond
MGM Studios' financial troubles will soon be coming to a sad end. Back in September, it was reported that MGM was in such poor shape that they might be forced to auction off their assets, including James Bond and The Hobbit. That day has come to pass. Variety reports that MGM Studios is officially on the auction block.MGM has been given a month of breathing space from their interest payments, time they plan on using to begin "a process to explore various strategic alternatives including operating as a standalone entity, forming strategic partnerships and evaluating a potential sale of the company."
But all hopes of survival may rest on what they sell off from their glorious history, including a library of 4,000 titles, the logo, the United Artists company, James Bond, and half ownership in The Hobbit. Time Warner, News Corp, and Lionsgate are said to be interested in all of the above.
As their library scatters to the four winds, it'll be really interesting to see what remakes and reboots it spawns. Remember, Robocop was on the MGM remake slate, and surely some hungry studio will snap that up. The Cannon Films and ITV Global Entertainment collections are just ripe for harvesting. Perhaps you'll finally see a Lifeforce movie, or a remake of Capricorn One, or an aspiring Tarantino type will buy up all those American International Picture rights and revive motorcycle gang movies. Sure, we all want to know who will wind up with James Bond, but it'll be far more fascinating if someone tries to remake Psych-Out. *
*It's possible this is considered one of AIP's "early" films, though it's unclear where that cut off date is.
Could Money Woes Cost MGM James Bond and 'The Hobbit'?
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Executive shifts, MGM, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, DIY/Filmmaking, Peter Jackson, Politics, James Bond, Remakes and Sequels, Daniel Craig
MGM has been plagued by financial woes for much of their long and illustrious career, but their most recent crisis could end up costing them two of their biggest titles. Nikke Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily is breathlessly reporting that the studio is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy with over $3.5 billion in debt. MGM held a very long conference call with their creditors, pleading with themto waive their interest payments until February 2010, and allow them the cash they need for the rest of the year, particularly to fund its upcoming slate of films. Naturally, some of those are highly anticipated, such as Robocop, The Hobbit, and the latest James Bond installment. However, MGM's creditors aren't feeling particularly charitable, and may force the studio to file for bankruptcy. If that happens, they could lose James Bond, The Hobbit, and numerous other franchises as MGM would have to sell them to the highest bidder. Right now, they're trying to convince their Scrooges that bankruptcy is the worst possible option, and that Bond and Bilbo are big enough moneymakers to cover their debt. That's where the situation stands now, and it'll certainly be quite the economic spectacle to watch.
I find the news particularly interesting in light of Peter Jackson's remarks on The Hobbit at ComicCon, when he squashed rumors that the film was in the casting stages, and noted that it hadn't even really been green-lit or had its budget approved yet. It was a douse of cold water after a lot of breathless excitement, much of which seemed to come straight from the filmmakers themselves. Could the brakes have been put on because of MGM's financial woes? Possibly.
Continued below the jump
Review: Fame
Filed under: Music & Musicals, New Releases, MGM, Theatrical Reviews, New in Theaters
The new remake of Fame will appeal to pre-teens who hope to go to performing arts schools, but who -- implausibly -- have never seen any other movies, or plays, or dance performances or music recitals. Moreover, they must not yet possess the ability to tell good performance from bad, nor truly inspired plot twists from hackneyed ones. Parents, on the other hand, will find that the movie sucks their will to live. It begins with the typical audition sequence, in which thousands of hopefuls show off their talents in front of grim-faced teachers. Whether or not the kids are talented makes no difference; some of the worst performers incredibly make the final cut, and even the best performers chosen aren't about to set the world on fire.
Following that, we meet our instructors, most of them played by talented, slumming actors. Kelsey Grammer plays the music teacher, Megan Mullally teaches singing, Bebe Neuwirth teaches dance and Charles S. Dutton teaches acting. (Debbie Allen, a holdover from the 1980 film, plays the principal.) Each of the teachers tries to impart the concept that each performer needs to find his or her own personality, find out what he or she wants to say, and then find a way to convey that, honestly, through their craft. The movie then completely ignores this advice and gives us a truckload of the usual mainstream, reality TV junk that sells. For example, from the dance class, rather than a ballet ("boorr-ing"), we get a rendition of some rejected "Pussycat Dolls" number, complete with skimpy stockings and strutting. (Not surprisingly, "director" Kevin Tancharoen worked on the "Pussycat Dolls" reality TV show.)
Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
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