Movie Marketing »
Dolphin Doc 'The Cove' Gets Japanese Release Date
Filed under: Documentary, Awards, Deals, New Releases, Distribution, Exhibition, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Politics, Cinematical Indie
Louie Psihoyos's animal rights documentary The Cove (a film we've been championing since Sundance '09 - read our review here) has been opening eyes stateside and in a handful of overseas markets since opening last summer, but the real question was whether or not the people of Japan would hear about the mass dolphin harvesting that had been going on for years under their noses in the small fishing village of Taiji. According to a press release, Japanese audiences will get their chance to watch The Cove come April 2010, when distributor Medallion Media releases the Oscar nominated film.
In the press release (via The Hot Blog), Medallion Media director Norio Okahara stressed that the company was remaining neutral in the highly political dolphin harvesting debate, but that it was an important issue that deserved attention, so as to let the Japanese public decide for themselves. "In distributing The Cove we are not taking sides. Rather, we are presenting the film for the Japanese to decide for themselves about the issues it raises. There is a debate to be had here and this important film – and the Academy Award® nomination only serves to reinforce its importance - offers the opportunity for such a debate."
First Look at Megan Fox and Mickey Rourke in 'Passion Play'
Filed under: Drama, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Images
It's either this year's The Wrestler, or the film equivalent of that nasty drunk at the bar who's just slowly making the biggest ass of himself with each passing minute. In the works for 10 years now, Mitch Glazer's Passion Play has just wrapped production and star Mickey Rourke sat down for a brief chat with Entertainment Weekly in which, among other things, he calls Megan Fox "probably the best young actress I've ever worked with" and at the same time bashes one or both of his Wrestler co-stars by saying "there wasn't much chemistry there." Oh Mickey, what will you say next?
In Passion Play, Rourke plays a down-and-out trumpet player who looks to a young winged angel for redemption in 1950s Los Angeles. On Fox's character, Rourke notes, "She has wings, so she was sort of an oddity trapped in a carnival act. She's been a prisoner her whole life, and she has no understanding of trust. She's very vulnerable and delicate." It's not hard to see similarities with Rourke's character in The Wrestler, but he tries to distance himself from that film and its story (in an odd way) by criticizing the lack of chemistry on set and then noting: "As far as the redemption is concerned, it's almost fate. It's not so much that my character is seeking redemption, it's almost like it falls in my lap by accident. And I try and hold on to it as much as I can."
Check out the rest over at EW. Passion Play will most likely debut at some point in 2010.
Monday Morning Quote-A-Back: Feb. 8, 2010
Filed under: Movie Marketing
The movies of the past couple of weeks have not exactly been lighting up the critics. The Tooth Fairy, When In Rome and Legion have come within the similar crosshairs with scores of 15%, 17% and 18%, respectively, over at Rotten Tomatoes. Those are the critics though. Not the junketeers, who as usual have gone rogue as the champions of said movies.
The Tooth Fairy
"Dwayne Johnson is the champ of family movies! - Greg Russell, The Movie Show Plus, WNYB-TV/Detroit
"A great family comedy! - Eli Ferradas, WSVN-TV/Miami
Legion
"Entertaining and full of laughs." - Pete Hammond
"Wild and fun! - Jim Ferguson
"Flat-out hilarious! You'll fall in love with When In Rome!" - Bryan Erdy
Pretty impressive of Bollini and Edwards to get quoted opening weekend on Legion considering the film was withheld from screening for critics. Especially since that's usually Earl Dittman's territory. We move on, though, to this weekend's box office success story (Dear John) and box office disappointment (From Paris With Love). On the positive side, they doubled up the critical favor on The Tooth Fairy and When In Rome grabbing 30% and 34% of non-negative reviews.
"Wild and fun! - Jim Ferguson
"Flat-out hilarious! You'll fall in love with When In Rome!" - Bryan Erdy
Pretty impressive of Bollini and Edwards to get quoted opening weekend on Legion considering the film was withheld from screening for critics. Especially since that's usually Earl Dittman's territory. We move on, though, to this weekend's box office success story (Dear John) and box office disappointment (From Paris With Love). On the positive side, they doubled up the critical favor on The Tooth Fairy and When In Rome grabbing 30% and 34% of non-negative reviews.
Cinematical Set Visit: Channing Tatum Talks 'Dear John'
Filed under: Drama, Romance, New Releases, Sony, Movie Marketing, Interviews, War
I have to confess that I don't think I could have picked Channing Tatum out of a line-up before meeting him on the set of Dear John. I knew vaguely that he was one of those incredibly buff Ambercrombie Models, I knew he danced, and knew he was going to be in G.I. Joe, but I didn't have a very precise image of him. As I disembarked from our car, he galloped past me, and I didn't recognize him right away. Shocking!
I think everyone has an image of what they think Tatum must be like. I'm happy to say that you're wrong. For one thing, he's charismatic in a way that I don't think has come across onscreen yet. I hope Dear John changes that for him. In person, he's incredibly warm, friendly, and sweet and no one could stop singing his praises. As you can guess, actors run the gauntlet as far as approachability goes, but there wasn't a smack of phony affability in Tatum. He even gave us all a hug after our interview -- and no, none of us asked -- which is not something actors really do. Come on, I don't want to hug 99% of the people I meet in a professional day. And yes, girls, you can feel every muscle.
Here's our Q&A with Tatum, which Cinematical participated in with UGO and Coming Soon. The questions were not all asked by Cinematical, so we've kept them all in bold as a reference.
Cinematical Set Visit: Amanda Seyfried Talks 'Dear John'
Filed under: Drama, Romance, New Releases, Sony, Movie Marketing, Interviews
Amanda Seyfried is quickly becoming one of Hollywood's hottest young stars. When we talked to her on the set of Dear John, she was fresh off Mamma Mia!, gaining rave reviews from Big Love, and on her way to bigger and bigger roles. In person she's absolutely charming, incredibly pretty, and very sweet. We had to catch her between takes and as she was getting make-up reapplied. Despite how late and cold it was, she managed to laugh and be perky the entire time we talked, which is not something that comes across on transcription.
As with the other interviews, Cinematical participated with UGO and Coming Soon, but for easy reading we'll label all the questions as being from Cinematical.
Cinematical: So, are you happy with the restaurant scene and the way it is going?
Amanda Seyfried: Yeah, I'm pretty happy. I'm so comfortable with Channing. It comes pretty naturally, so when you feel like you are not really working hard, you can sometimes maybe feel a little self-conscious. And then, it's like why isn't this hard? Am I getting it? Am I getting in the act of it? But it's fun and I'm eating really good shrimp.
Cinematical: Are you getting sick and tired of eating shrimp over and over again?
Seyfried: No, moderation is really necessary to perform that role!
Cinematical: How has your life been since your exposure from Mamma Mia!?
Seyfried: It's been pretty ridiculous. I definitely don't think I would be doing this movie had I not had the success with Mamma Mia! For a lot of reasons people are chosen for a cast in a movie. A lot of it has to do with marketability and what you're talent is and how you connect with a character. That definitely has a lot of impact.
As with the other interviews, Cinematical participated with UGO and Coming Soon, but for easy reading we'll label all the questions as being from Cinematical.
Cinematical: So, are you happy with the restaurant scene and the way it is going?
Amanda Seyfried: Yeah, I'm pretty happy. I'm so comfortable with Channing. It comes pretty naturally, so when you feel like you are not really working hard, you can sometimes maybe feel a little self-conscious. And then, it's like why isn't this hard? Am I getting it? Am I getting in the act of it? But it's fun and I'm eating really good shrimp.
Cinematical: Are you getting sick and tired of eating shrimp over and over again?
Seyfried: No, moderation is really necessary to perform that role!
Cinematical: How has your life been since your exposure from Mamma Mia!?
Seyfried: It's been pretty ridiculous. I definitely don't think I would be doing this movie had I not had the success with Mamma Mia! For a lot of reasons people are chosen for a cast in a movie. A lot of it has to do with marketability and what you're talent is and how you connect with a character. That definitely has a lot of impact.
'Last Airbender' and 'Robin Hood' Superbowl Spots Already Online
Filed under: Action, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Paramount, Family Films, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Trailers and Clips
Hey, kids and Avatar: The Last Airbender fans! If you want to see the tv spot for The Last Airbender, but you don't want to sit through the Superbowl due to a dislike of the teams, football, or the obnoxious people in your household, you're in luck! UGO has been lucky enough to obtain the top secret, ultra-exclusive television spot. They were kind enough to let us embed it here so that you can watch it again and again.
You'll definitely have to do that, because it's over in a flash. (Ponder how much they spend to air this during Superbowl Sunday, then giggle at getting to see it for free.) Those of you familiar with the Nickelodeon series will be able to spot lots of references to the show. According to UGO (I'm quoting them because I only have a Wikipedia based knowledge of this series), you get scenes of "achieving Avatar State, waterbending, earthbending and firebending, and of the Fire Nation Navy in battle. Sharp eyes might even catch a glimpse of Gran Gran!" One of their really eagle-eyed readers says that Appa the Sky Bison is in there, too, but I must need my eyes checked because I don't see anything that looks like a bison in that scene.
To a newbie, it looks like quite the fantasy film, and I'm reminded for the millionth time that I should watch the series one of these days. I've got until July 2, 2010 so maybe I will. In the meantime, what do you fans think of this first real teaser? Did M. Night Shyamalan get it right?
Additionally, we've also added the Robin Hood Superbowl spot after the jump. Which summer film looks more appetizing to you?
'Cop Out' Gets A Red Band Trailer. Is It Any Funnier?
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Warner Brothers, Newsstand, NSFW, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
The original Cop Out trailer hasn't inspired much hope in viewers and critics across our great digital nation, and the deluge of television spots only make it seem less appealing. Cop Out just doesn't look like a Kevin Smith film at all. However, everyone is still holding out some hope (I mean, he really did get Harold Faltermeyer to do the score!), and good test reviews have popped up on Ain't It Cool News. For what it's worth, the test screeners said the trailers were misleading crap.
Perhaps Warner Bros has realized this, because they've released a Red Band trailer to MySpace. Now this looks more like a Smith film (though his name is still notably missing), and more like the raunchy buddy cop comedy we were expecting. It's definitely funnier, and you can mentally re-edit the trailer you've seen with the R-rated lines you get here. My concern now is that between the two trailers, we've seen anything and everything that's remotely chuckle worthy. On the other hand, neither trailer gives a hint of the plot, so maybe there's something more to Cop Out. Whether it's good or not? Well, that's the kicker.
The new, naughtier Cop Out trailer is embedded below. It goes without saying that since it's Red Band (no peeking, young readers), it's NSFW. It's Friday though, so maybe you can get away with it.
The Ugly Art of De-Gaying
Filed under: Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
We may get shows like The L Word and love out actors like Neil Patrick Harris, but we can't seem to rid the homophobia from Hollywood's marketing system, let alone politics. Sure, there's always been a disconnect, where trailers and box covers make bad films look good and good films look like utter crap, but the marketing disconnect is absolutely rampant when it comes to gay themes, and it looks like there's no slowing of this absolutely ridiculous trend.CNN's The Frisky looked into the marketing habit of de-gaying this week, pointing out the ridiculous omissions in both Valentine's Day and A Single Man's marketing ventures, where gay themes are completely bled out of the film. For the former, you might notice that Eric Dane -- otherwise known as McSteamy -- is part of the cast, but we don't see much of him. His face isn't on the poster*, and none of his scenes get highlighted in the trailer. Why? Turns out he plays Bradley Cooper's closeted, football-playing boyfriend in the film.
Boyfriend? But what about the trailer?
Exclusive Stills from Roman Polanski's 'The Ghost Writer'
Filed under: Drama, Movie Marketing, Images
Cinematical has just received three brand new exclusive stills for Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer, which will world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival this month. Based on the novel by Robert Harris (who also penned the screenplay), Polanski's latest stars Ewan McGregor as a professional ghost writer who's brought in at the last minute to help the former British Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan) finish his memoir after the PM's previous ghost writer (and close friend) mysteriously drowned. When he begins to discover some dark secrets the PM may have been trying to hide, our ghost writer suddenly finds this chance of a lifetime slowly turn into a life and death situation. The film also stars Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams and Timothy Hutton.
We've posted the recently-released trailer for this stylish-looking, noir-ish political thriller after the jump, and you can scope out Polanski's latest for yourself when it reaches theaters in limited release on February 19th (after premiering in Berlin on February 12th). Click into the gallery below to check out the three exclusive photos.
Exclusive Trailer Premiere: The Overbrook Brothers
Filed under: Comedy, SXSW, Movie Marketing, Trailers and Clips
Cinematical has just been handed this exclusive trailer for the SXSW break-out hit The Overbrook Brothers, a film that has carried plenty of good buzz around to several other film festivals over the past year and is now ready to slam its fist down in your living room when IFC brings the film On-Demand this February 17th via its IFCInTheaters brand. Directed by John E. Bryant (and written by Bryant and Jason Foxworth), The Overbrook Brothers follows two brothers who go on a road trip to find their biological parents. On paper that may sound like a lot of small, indie comedies, but take a look at the trailer after the jump and tell me this flick doesn't look like an absolute riot.
A bunch of my friends and colleagues had lots of good things to say about this film after it premiered at SXSW last year, including our own Scott Weinberg (who you may see pop up in the trailer in quote form), who, following a festival screening, said this about the movie: "...My first "little" favorite is a dry indie comedy called The Overbrook Brothers, which seems a lot like every "dry indie festival comedy" I've ever come across ... for the first few minutes. But once the tone is laid down and the two leads settle into an effectively fractious chemistry, it becomes a very funny road trip with a few moments of real insight and strange warmth..."
Check out the trailer and poster after the jump, then make sure you order this sucker up it lands On-Demand this February 17th.
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!?
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
