HboFilms Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Fan Rant: Roman Polanski Doc and its Stupid Theatrical Release
Filed under: Documentary », Celebrities and Controversy », Exhibition », DIY/Filmmaking », Movie Marketing », Fan Rant »
One of the hotter sales at this year's Sundance Film Festival was a documentary called Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (check out our review here). The doc, which chronicles the director's controversial rape case throughout the years, was sold to HBO Documentary Films for $1 million following the fest. Okay, so one sees that HBO picked it up -- figuring it's a documentary, they'd probably go straight to cable and DVD with it, right? Yes. Right. HBO is premiering the film on June 9. Ah, but they'd also like the film to qualify for an Oscar, which means it needs to play in a theater for a minimum of seven days in Los Angeles county and Manhattan. The problem with this rule is that it can play ANYWHERE and HBO is certainly taking advantage of that.
Defamer points out, via some random newspaper ad they were sent (see above), that Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired is currently playing in one Manhattan theater on West 181st street. Yeah, that was 181st street, not 18th street. No typo. Two afternoon screenings per day. Bet you didn't know about that one, huh? I don't blame you -- who the f*ck in their right mind WOULD know about that!? I don't know much about Los Angeles County, but apparently the same crap is being pulled there (two afternoon screenings at a theater called Laemmle's One Pasadena).
So why does HBO do this? If they have to screen it theatrically in order for it to be in the running for an Oscar, why don't they screen it at a reputable indie-centric theater in NYC, like Film Forum or the IFC Center. Sh*t, screen it at my apartment -- I bet more people would see it at my crib than on West 181st street.
[photo via Defamer]
Jackass Crew Gets Hosed ... by Madonna?
Filed under: Comedy », Newsstand », HBO Films »
I bet the Jackass crew has done a dangerous stunt using a fireman's hose. I've never been able to bring myself to watch either the TV show or the film -- I'm not particularly interested in watching a guy wax off all of his body hair while getting kicked in the scrotum -- but I'm sure a professional fire hose has come into play at some point in their careers. Now, four of the risk takers will appear in a scripted film produced by Madonna's Maverick Films and HBO -- with a fire hose as the inspiration.Hosed will be a comedy about a volunteer firefighter who has big aspirations but little physical talent. Finally, this Good Samaritan is "assigned to a firehouse where he has to deal with a band of misfit firefighters from the wrong side of the tracks," as described by Hollywood Reporter. Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, Steve O, and Jason Acuña will be the 'misfits.' We know these guys can be naked, struck by a taser gun and maced, all at the same time, but do they have the acting chops to even pull off an Adam "Tex" Davis (Just Friends) film? We'll have to wait until it's released to find out.
As far as the story goes...an inept volunteer firefighter and four unruly veterans? It sounds like blind leading the blind. Let's hope that whomever they cast as the inevitable mishap firefighter is enough to carry the film on his clumsy (yet hopefully broad and attractive) shoulders.
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