Fame Tagged Articles at Cinematical
The Internet Takes Control of Movie Marketing
Filed under: New Line », Fandom », Tech Stuff »
A while back I wrote a little post about a movie that I would never see, and plenty of folks lined up to tell me that it was impossible to make a decision about a movie through word of mouth or what I had read on the Internet. Of course, I disagreed, because frankly how else can I make a decision about where to spend my hard earned time and money? But if I had to blame anyone for keeping me away from the movie theater that day, I'm going to have to blame the Internet. Yup, it was thanks to those sneak peeks and early screenings described in detail online that helped me make my decision before those battling robots ever took the stage. People are talking about movies more now than ever before thanks to social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook, and a new study from New Line's Web guru Gordon Paddison has proven that when it comes to movie marketing, all the action really is on the web.What the report seems to be saying is that you need to know your audience if you want to sell your movie. Now, there are some daunting statistics that prove the power of the Internet when it comes to going to the movies, and if you aren't buying the effect the net can have on a film's success, keep in mind that 94% of all moviegoers are online, and 73% of moviegoers surveyed have profiles on a social networking site -- and if people are talking, you want to make sure it's positive because as the old commercial goes, they tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and before you know it, you have a flop on your hands.
After the jump: so what does this all mean for movie marketers?
Weekend Box Office: Slim Pickings for 'Surrogates', 'Fame'
Filed under: New Releases », Box Office »
Weren't we seeking flashy, content-free teaser trailers for Fame, like, a year ago? Or nine months out at least? That's the sort of marketing generally reserved for event blockbusters, not movies that get dumped into theaters in late September en route to a $10 million opening and -- most likely -- a final gross in the vicinity of $25 -30 million. What happened? Given the bad reviews, perhaps MGM/Sony realized with a few months to go that they didn't have an awards contender or likely crowd favorite on their hands.
On the other hand, I don't know what excuse Disney has for Surrogates, a perfectly serviceable, extremely commercial sci-fi actioner starring Bruce Willis and directed by T3's Jonathan Mostow. Willis actionally doesn't have the greatest track record in opening non-franchise releases, but $15 million for a movie like this is awfully weak; here is an instance where hiding a movie from critics arguably hurt. Overture's Pandorum, also hidden from reviewers, was a less surprising flop, with $4.4 million dollars for the weekend.
Taking top honors for the second weekend in a row was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs , which held up very well; it probably helped that it was really the only family film in the market for the second weekend in a row. The Informant! which did not make big waves last weekend, also held pretty well; it won't do Ocean's business, but should end up as Soderbergh's highest-grossing non-Ocean's film (the current titleholder is Out of Sight with $37 million).
The full top 10 after the jump.
Insert Caption: Whip It
Filed under: Contests », Insert Caption »
Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game that whips out funny captions faster than it takes me to fall down while rollerskating (ie: pretty damn fast). Last week we asked you to churn out your best "Let's make fun of those artsy kids" captions for a photo from the remake of Fame, now in theaters. Congrats to our three winners, all of whom will graduate our non-existent caption school with honors.
1. "Coming this fall... Matrix: Dance Dance Revolutions!" -- Zach B.
2. "This is what the world's largest game of "The Floor is Lava" looks like." -- John R.
3. "This is what happens when a group of arachnophobics all see a spider at the same time." -- Amanda P.
See full image and all captions
This week we're speeding down the skate-track with Ellen Page and her crew in Drew Barrymore's coming-of-age directorial debut, Whip It. The folks behind our three favorite captions this week will skate away with one Whip It poster and one Whip It soundtrack. (And in case you're not lucky enough to win our spandex happy caption contest, definitely make sure you pick up this pretty killer soundtrack right over here.) Now lace up and show us what you got!
Read the official rules for this contest
1. "Coming this fall... Matrix: Dance Dance Revolutions!" -- Zach B.2. "This is what the world's largest game of "The Floor is Lava" looks like." -- John R.
3. "This is what happens when a group of arachnophobics all see a spider at the same time." -- Amanda P.
See full image and all captions
This week we're speeding down the skate-track with Ellen Page and her crew in Drew Barrymore's coming-of-age directorial debut, Whip It. The folks behind our three favorite captions this week will skate away with one Whip It poster and one Whip It soundtrack. (And in case you're not lucky enough to win our spandex happy caption contest, definitely make sure you pick up this pretty killer soundtrack right over here.) Now lace up and show us what you got!
Read the official rules for this contest
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.)
Box Office: Pandora's Famous Surrogates
Filed under: Action », Drama », Music & Musicals », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Box Office Predictions »
3D animation was the way to go this weekend, with Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs taking a wide lead over the three other new releases. Tyler Perry's latest flick surrendered the number one spot but still managed to hang on to third place. Here's the top five:
1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: $30.3 million
2. The Informant!: $10.4 million
3. Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself: $9.8 million
4. Love Happens: $8 million
5. Jennifer's Body: $6.9 million
Three new releases this week, including a teen dance flick and two -- count 'em, two -- science fiction movies.
Fame
What's It All About: Remake of the 1980 classic about a group of young people attending a high school for the performing arts.
Why It Might Do Well: This will appeal to a younger crowd that has probably never seen the original, so for them at least it won't carry the stigma of a remake.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The Fame TV series got pretty dopey in the later seasons and I might not be the only one who remembers that.
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $22 million
Pandorum
What's It All About: Two astronauts awaken from hyper-sleep on a ship in deep space with no memory of who they are or what their mission is.
Why It Might Do Well: Looks like a good rollicking creep-fest set in space.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Might two science fiction movies in one week be pushing it?
Number of Theaters: 2,400
Prediction: $9 million
1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: $30.3 million
2. The Informant!: $10.4 million
3. Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself: $9.8 million
4. Love Happens: $8 million
5. Jennifer's Body: $6.9 million
Three new releases this week, including a teen dance flick and two -- count 'em, two -- science fiction movies.
FameWhat's It All About: Remake of the 1980 classic about a group of young people attending a high school for the performing arts.
Why It Might Do Well: This will appeal to a younger crowd that has probably never seen the original, so for them at least it won't carry the stigma of a remake.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The Fame TV series got pretty dopey in the later seasons and I might not be the only one who remembers that.
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $22 million
PandorumWhat's It All About: Two astronauts awaken from hyper-sleep on a ship in deep space with no memory of who they are or what their mission is.
Why It Might Do Well: Looks like a good rollicking creep-fest set in space.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Might two science fiction movies in one week be pushing it?
Number of Theaters: 2,400
Prediction: $9 million
Fan Rant: Generation 'Fame'
Filed under: Music & Musicals », MGM », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels », Fan Rant », Trailers and Clips »
Just before I get started I want to make one thing perfectly clear: this fan rant has nothing to do with me hating remakes in principle. Instead, this rant is about fame (as a movie and a concept) and a disturbing trend I noticed in the marketing for the shiny new Fame hitting theaters this fall. So let's start at the beginning, shall we? I was surfing channels whey I first happened across the latest trailer for the musical update that does a little cross-promotion with the boy-wizard, Harry Potter. So as I sat there watching this bizarre combination of Hogwarts and The School of Performing Arts, it occurred to me that this trailer seemed to almost being equating 'fame' with magic. This new version of Fame seemed to have none of the pain, suffering, and sacrifice (except of the mildest teen-angst ways imaginable) of the original -- and that's when I started to get a little ticked.
Alan Parker's Fame was a part of a larger trend in the late 70s and 80s to make 'grittier' musicals (along with films like A Chorus Line or Fosse's All That Jazz) that took the "let's put on a show" tradition of musicals and revealed all of it's flaws and the screwed-up people who inhabited the business of making fantasy. What made Fame (1980) such a stand-out for me as a young girl was that suddenly the idea of stardom didn't seem so great. Instead, it became a deal with the devil, and Parker's film seemed to keep that idea under the surface of the uplifting finale and songs about lunch programs.
After the jump: why a Fame remake has me so worked up, and a glimpse of the film that started it all...
'Fame' Gets a Spunky Trailer
Filed under: Drama », Music & Musicals », Trailers and Clips »
In 100 days, on September 25, the big-screen version of Fame will hit. To mark the event, MGM has finally released a full-length trailer over at Yahoo. No more of this one-song blip. Now we've got a collection of scenes ranging from entry auditions to final, epic, grand performances. Unsurprisingly, most of the focus is on the most popular arts -- dance and song. This may be Fame, but the popular arts still reign supreme.
Best of all, this trailer finally lets us get a look the teachers. Charles Dutton and Kelsey Grammar get the most play, but there's also brief glimpses of Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth, and of course, Debbie Allen. However, the fact that Ms. Allen, who was one of the main parts of the original show, only gets the briefest glimpse whilst hugging is a bit disappointing. Luckily, there's Dutton's voice over to keep things on track.
But what I can't get over is how darned catchy that theme song still is. Most of my memories of Fame are fleeting at best, but that song has reeled me in hook, line, and sinker. I don't know why -- is it nostalgia, or the fact that the modern twist still leaves the song in tact? And how about you? Are you a sucker for "Fame"?
Trailer Park: The Taking of Bruno's Powdery Fame
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Drama », Trailer Trash », Remakes and Sequels »
Bruno
IMDB is giving the following as this film's informal alternative title: Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt. Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen adapts another character from Da Ali G show, this time assuming the persona of a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion designer. This is apparently shot in the same way they did Borat, with most of the people involved not realizing that Bruno is just a fictional character. I suspect this may be just as funny as Borat was, but we'll have to wait until July 10 to know for sure.
Fame
Really? A remake of the 1980 film? It's not something I would have thought people were clamoring for but the movie looks to be in the mold of modern dance flicks, and there's a catchy modernization of the classic theme song. If Step Up 2 The Streets is your kind of thing then Fame may work for you. Look for it on September 25.
Powder Blue
Indie drama about four individuals including a suicidal minister who has lost his faith (Forest Whitaker), a retired hit man (Ray Liotta), a single mom stripper (Jessica Biel) and a socially awkward mortician. In addition to these three stars we have Patrick Swayze and Kris Kristofferson rounding out an appealing cast. The story looks compelling, not just because of the strip tease scenes, but they certainly don't hurt. Watch for this in limited release on April 24.
'Fame' Dances Its Way to a First Teaser
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Trailers and Clips »
There's less than half a year until the new incarnation of Fame hits theaters on September 25, and that means we've entered trailer territory! Of course, the first teaser trailer never really shares a lot of the plot, but what this trailer does show bodes well for the film -- stellar singers, our beloved theme song (with a slight makeover and update), and a lot of fancy shmancy dancin'.The most attention is given to Naturi Naughton (Lil Kim in Notorious), who kicks off the trailer with a little piano playing and a seriously impressive rendition of Irene Cara's "Out Here on My Own." But soon, it's an explosion of fancy dancing and quick clips to our old theme song. If I've one complaint, however, it's that there's a lot of dancing in the clips, but the music and non-dancing art are relegated to ridiculously brief and small shots. Then again, the kids love themselves the song and dance these days (just ask the kids of South Park), so it makes sense from a marketing standpoint.
As an old Fame fan, I'm digging it so far, although we really need to see Debbie Allen. Fame can't live forever without her!
You can check out the High Def version over at Moviefone.
Finally! 'Fame' Finds Some Teachers
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Casting », Remakes and Sequels »
Back in October, we heard about the large cast of unknowns that were assembling for the remake of Fame. Now we've got word of the instructors, and I'm happy to say -- Debbie Allen leads the pack!Variety reports that Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, and Bebe Neuwirth have signed on for "the roles of instructors and supervisors" in the upcoming remake. Don't worry -- Frasier won't be in tights, but sadly, Allen isn't either. Instead of teaching the kids to dance, Allen will be the school's principal (which makes sense), while Dutton plays an acting teacher, Grammer plays an orchestra maestro, Mullally plays a voice instructor, and Neuwirth plays a dance instructor.
Damn, these kids are lucky -- you can't much better than that for your intructors. But perhaps more importantly -- this means a reunion for Lilith and Frasier! Bebe played Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane in Cheers, and popped up as the ex in a handful of Frasier episodes. Will the dance instructor canoodle the maestro once again?
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