hbo films Tagged Articles at Cinematical

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]

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.

On the list of Cinematical review assignments for March 17, there's a line that reads "Idlewild: Martha." Yes, that's right: the fabled Outkast musical was supposed to be in theaters this weekend. However, because back in January the movie was removed - for the second time - from HBO Films' release schedule, that assignment is just sitting there taunting me, much like the brilliant trailer the company unleashed back in January.

Though this sort of pattern practically screams MAJOR, FLAMING PROBLEMS! to the general public, Outkast's Big Boi insists (as you might expect) that everything is perfectly fine. Why the delay(s), you ask? It's all about quality, and he and Andre 3000 are still working on the music for the movie. According to Big Boi, "What happened was it usually takes me and Dre a couple of years to get the music right. When we first started the movie we didn't really have a whole lot of the music done." So, though a few singles are ready now, the duo agreed with HBO to hold the release until the music is polished, rather than rush it out in time for the March open. Now, if this is true, great. I've still got a sneaking suspicion, though, that there are editing monkeys locked in a room somewhere at HBO, frantically trying to fix the movie.

The new release date is August 25, at which time HBO plans to have the movie on 2500 screens. Damn. A musical. On 2500 screens? I'll believe that when I see it.

Holy crap! Am I the only person who didn't know you could make millions of dollars selling weed? It doesn't matter, really, because soon, everyone will know: HBO Films is producing a movie based on the story of a group of teenagers in Idaho who did just that. Entitled King Cannabis, the movie will likely focus on Nate Norman, a kid who went from pizza delivery guy to drug kingpin (and is now doing 12 years in federal prison). With his friends, Norman made $38 million -- selling pot. Either they smoke an insane amount of marijuana in Idaho, or my concept of how much the stuff costs is way, WAY off. John Stockwell (of crazy/beautiful and Blue Crush "fame") will base his screenplay on one of the many magazine articles about the group, and is planning to direct, as well.

So, basically, what we have here is a Risky Business for the 21st century: how I made big bucks, met ladies, and had tons of fun doing illegal things. Sure, this one includes a long prison sentence, but still - think of the money! Who wants to place bets on how many idiot stoner kids will take this as a how-to and get arrested within weeks of the film's release? Anyone?