AbelFerrera Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Things weren't so peaceful in the movie buff land when word got out a few weeks ago that Werner Herzog plans to remake Bad Lieutenant with Nicolas Cage in the lead role. Even noted trash auteur Abel Ferrara publicly complained about having his work redone. Bad Lieutenant isn't anybody's idea of a good time: Harvey Keitel puts on a freakishly raunchy performance. Still, it definitely sounds like Herzog's pumped about the gig. Defamer cornered the director in New York today for a few questions about the project, and the responses are kind of amazing. Herzog tends to do a great job of explaining himself, no matter what crazy scheme he has cooked up, but the best part of this interview arrives when the guy claims utter cluelessness about Ferrara's work. Way to stick it to the source material.

To hear Herzog tell it, his version of Bad Lieutenant isn't a remake, although he wouldn't know, since it sounds like hasn't actually seen the original. However, he says that Cage's character's name and the plot are entirely new. Herzog apparently liked the "very, very dark story," written by William M. Finkelstein, and he can't wait to work with Cage (given Herzog's notorious appreciation of Anna Nicole Smith, this last bit actually makes sense). Hearing about Ferrara's discontent, Herzog just eggs him on: "Let him fight the windmills, like Don Quixote." It's a feud made in heaven, almost too good to be true. You might just call it ecstatic truth.

Top: Early poster art for the new 'Bad Lieutenant,' snapped at the Cannes Film Festival last month.

Film bloggers are spending a lot of time this week pondering the recent efforts by the MPAA and big theater chains to urge people back into movie theaters, and suggesting more practical solutions.

• Mike at Techdirt claims the trouble is that most theaters aren't offering a good social experience anymore (I feel like we're cattle at certain large chains), but they fail to see this as the problem. He also notes that they're missing the point entirely about the competition of movies on DVD.
• John Rogers at Kung Fu Monkey proposes the best way to improve the theatergoing experience and draw crowds back to movie theaters: hire bouncers disguised as ushers. He has a point: the Alamo theaters in Austin rarely get obnoxious, because the theater chain devised a discreet way for patrons to complain about noise. (Or as their house ad says, "Don't talk or Ann Richards will take your ass out.") [via GreenCine Daily]
• Scott Kirsner at CinemaTech explains the difficulties that theaters will face as the length of time from theatrical to DVD release decreases, and suggests a number of clever ways in which theaters might choose (or have already chosen, in some cases) to attract audiences.
• Unrelated: A couple of entertaining themes are traveling around the world of film bloggers this week. Edward Copeland has been asking bloggers to post lists of their choices for the top ten worst Best Picture Oscar winners. Also this week, girish put out a call for bloggers to write about Abel Ferrera, which has produced some fascinating essays. I regret not having time to tell my story about seeing Ms. 45 in London in 1989.
  
• Finally, also unrelated: Peter Nelhaus posted a great entry this week about William Castle horror films that I had to mention, I enjoyed it so much. The photos from Mr. Sardonicus are especially creepy.