Film School Rejects » Studios

WALL-E: Coming to a Theme Park Near You

Kevin Carr — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:15:30 +0000

There’s no doubt about it. WALL-E is the cutest robot to grace the silver screen since R2-D2. He’s just adorable on the screen, but he’s even more adorable in person.

This past fall, WALL-E started to appear in theater lobbies as a complex standee, with motion sensors surrounding it so it would talk to passers-by. It wasn’t just a hit with the kids, but adults too couldn’t help but interact with the cardboard Pixar character.

Now, people will have a new chance to interact with WALL -E in person. According to The Pixar Blog and the theme park web site watchdog Screamscape, the Disney theme parks are building three-foot-tall (which is life-size, in case your were wondering) mobile animatronic versions of WALL-E. These live-action characters will roam the parks and interact with guests and their children.

Yes, it’s another reason to engage in the flood of commercialism that is the Disney theme parks. (Sure, it seems a bit much as an adult, but the kids simply go bonkers in these places.)

The first WALL-E models will be found in Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park inside Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Additional models are expected to be rolled out in the Disneyland Resort parks in California as well, making Earth’s last robot bi-coastal.

But that’s not the real story for me. As a huge Pixar fan and a child at heart (with a couple kids at home to boost my interest), I want to know when we can get a life-size version of this summer’s hit movie robot to help around the house. That would be awesome.

Source: Pixar Blog and Screamscape

Is PG-13ification a New Era of McCarthyism?

Kevin Carr — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:34:33 +0000

Something has been happening in Hollywood over the past few years, and some people are really getting their noses out of joint about it: PG-13ification of American cinema.

While the most notable instances of PG-13ification happen in the realm of horror movies, many other genres have been hit, from comedies to action flicks. There are few examples of films whose low box office is attributed to the PG-13 rating, but there are tons of movies that had a softer box office blamed on an R rating (e.g., Semi-Pro, Doomsday and Charlie Bartlett in 2008 alone).

Some of the more recent high-profile examples of PG-13ification include last weekend’s number one movie Prom Night and last summer’s action hit Live Free or Die Hard. In both instances, studio bosses mandated a PG-13 rating in order to deliver the highest audience payoff. And in both cases, it worked… almost too well.

Back when the news broke that Live Free or Die Hard would be PG-13, people were seriously pissed, mainly over the fact that John McClane’s famous line “Yippie-ki-yi-yay, motherfucker” was left on the chopping block. The gamble paid off for FOX, when Live Free or Die Hard grossed close to $400 million worldwide. And, at least we did get to hear the unedited line in the unrated DVD release.

Over the years, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the MPAA. On one hand, I agree with the gripes. The organization makes arbitrary and sometimes completely inappropriate decisions along the thin PG-13/R and R/NC-17 lines.

On the other hand, I am a parent, and I see the value of a ratings system, especially now that they list the offending material at the bottom of the ratings box. Sure, I’m not rushing to take my young kids to see Prom Night, but when they reach their teenage years, it can serve as a guide.

As much as I get irritated at the MPAA, at least it’s self-imposed by the industry. I prefer to have the MPAA around as a necessary evil in lieu of political do-gooders like Tipper Gore enacting some form of government censorship. If you think that the PG-13ification of American cinema is the new McCarthyism, imagine if this was left in the hands of the politicians. That would be a disaster.

I have the unique perspective on the PG-13 rating in that I was actually 13 years old when it was enacted. I never saw Red Dawn (the first PG-13 release) when I was in junior high school, but I did see Dreamscape (the second one), which was one of my favorite films as a kid. This film would have easily been rated R a year before, and as a young teenager, I was able to see it without a problem.

According to BoxOfficeMojo, there are vastly more R-rated movies released each year (many of which are independent and platform releases, so this does skew the numbers a bit), yet PG-13 movies out-gross them in total by 200% or more. In 2008 alone, there have been 42 R-rated films to date and 47 PG-13 rated films. The PG-13 combined gross has already cracked a cool $1 billion while the R-rated movies have barely made more than $200 million combined.

You just can’t argue these numbers with Hollywood, and with the coveted movie-going audience including high school and junior high viewers, this isn’t going to change.

The bottom line is that movie fans have to simply face the fact that show business is a business. If research shows that a film is going to have a high appeal to people under the age of 17, chances are they will push for a PG-13 rating. And with rare exception, it has paid off for studios to release PG-13 films rather than their riskier R-rated counterparts. Just look at how Prom Night soared, yet the far superior R-rated The Ruins was left in the dust.

Fortunately, every now and then we get films like Saw and Superbad that legitimize R-rated films as commercially viable by raking in the money at the box office, and this helps. But for the time being, the best we can hope for is a nice unrated DVD release that gives up a little more of the following (according to the MPAA): “adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements.”

Ten Reasons Why the Weinsteins Can Kiss My Ass

Kevin Carr — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:00:41 +0000

There was a time when Harvey and Bob Weinstein were the heroes of American cinema. Their company Miramax had made a powerful name for itself in film, and they seemed to be the only people in the business who were actually in touch with the audience.

Now, however, we are seeing that these guys are just big douchebags, like so many other people in the business.

After bailing from Disney, whom they blamed for their troubles, the brothers founded The Weinstein Company, which was to produce and distribute high-quality independent films and kick-ass genre releases under the Dimension banner. That split happened in late 2005, and the Weinstein Company had a nice list of award nominees for the upcoming season.

However, once they burned through their slate of Miramax properties, their tightly-wound grip on the industry began to unravel. Now, other upstart companies like Lionsgate and Paramount Vantage are filling the artistic void the Weinsteins have left.

And this is why I am presenting you with ten reasons why the Weinsteins can kiss my fat, furry ass.

10. Any movie they don’t screen for critics – With the exception of last year’s SiCKO (which was already available on YouTube prior to release), we haven’t received a screening of a full-blown Weinstein movie in the past two years. The Dimension and MGM releases have been a little more forthcoming with press screenings, but even those have plenty of films left off the schedule.

9. Voice-over shenanigans – The Weinsteins re-dubbed the otherwise cute Magic Roundabout with an American cast and turned it into a turd known as Doogal. Nothing like a farting moose and Jimmy Fallon to make a film appealing for the whole family. Soon after this, they ruined Luc Besson’s film Arthur and the Invisibles by making changes for the American audience (including Jimmy Fallon again in voice-over stupidity). I thought these guys were supposed to preserve the integrity of their movies.

8. Feast – This was supposed to be the big push of the Project Greenlight series into genre films, with a hope for mainstream audiences. Instead, a botched theatrical release had the film landing in theaters anywhere from a few weeks to a few days before the DVD hit the shelves. It served as the death knell for the ill-fated Project Greenlight films (which were never that good, anyway).

7. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane – In his column this week, our illustrious Executive Editor Neil Miller opined that All the Boys Love Mandy Lane was given the shaft. Here’s a movie that has rotted on the Weinstein shelf so long that the director has already made another movie. I attended a press screening for this last year, and the film was mysteriously pulled from all release schedules shortly afterwards. Then, in a stellar act of over-thinking and second-guessing themselves to the detriment of the filmmaker, they dropped it like a hot potato.

6. Stormbreaker – This was one of the biggest botched releases I can remember from the Weinsteins. After delaying the film an uncanny number of times to avoid confusion with Agent Cody Banks, Stormbreaker was literally sneaked into theaters. One day, while I was checking out Saw III, I noticed Stormbreaker was playing on another screen. I called my local rep and told her about it, and she said, “I just found out myself.” How incompetent do you have to be to not let your own publicity field reps know your $40 million movie is opening in their market?

5. Shoalin Soccer – At the time, it was the highest-grossing Chinese film ever. Then the Weinsteins got their hands on it and made so many changes that the American release bombed as a dumbed down, truncated mess. Plus, the release date was shuffled around so many times, the advertising and buzz was completely wasted. No wonder it made less than half a million while Stephen Chow’s competently released follow up Kung Fu Hustle made $17 million.

4. Dogma – If you remember the controversy surrounding this film, it was the Catholic Church versus Disney. The Weinsteins managed to paint themselves as heroes by finding a new distributor, but it makes me wonder what really went on behind closed doors. Their names appear nowhere in the film’s proper credits, and not long afterwards (as with the aforementioned Shoalin Soccer), they began diddling with their distribution slate. Might this be remembered as the first step the Weinstein’s took to the dark side?

3. Grindhouse on DVD – This has been a sore spot for me ever since the Weinsteins announced that they were splitting Grindhouse into two films for the DVD release. That technique didn’t work for the international market, and it failed on DVD as well. Here was a film that stood to have a huge life on DVD, and it was divided and conquered before it got a chance. We’re still waiting for the full-blown Grindhouse experience on DVD… and don’t expect it any time soon, unless you live in Japan.

2. Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair – Ever since Kill Bill was split into two films (which wasn’t a bad idea for its theatrical run, but then again, that was when Disney was running the show), we’ve been eagerly awaiting a compilation DVD collector’s edition. Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair was supposed to come out earlier this year. But like so many other Weinstein properties, it has been put on the shelf to collect dust.

1. Fanboys – What can I say about Fanboys that hasn’t already been said? The forced edits, vanishing theatrical release and the wishy-washy upcoming DVD (from the inappropriately-named Genius Products) has spawned the “Stop Darth Weinstein” movement. If there has ever been an example of a distributor needlessly tinkering with their films, dishonoring the filmmakers and ignoring the fans, this is it. What has happened to Fanboys should serve as a lesson to any independent filmmaker out there. Avoid the Weinsteins at all costs. They will more than likely ruin your film, then never release it.

Emma II Society Coming Soon from Screen Gems

Kevin Carr — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:54:44 +0000

Haven’t we had enough of Jane Austen? Apparently not, according to Screen Gems. However, instead of giving us another Joe Wright costume drama, the studio plans to update the Jane Austen novel Emma against a hip-hop backdrop.

That’s right. They’re not just re-making bad slasher films from the 80s. They’re also remaking stuffy British literature as musical urban street dramas.

Chris Bender and J.C. Spink will produce the film, which is to be set in an inner-city high school. Tyger Williams, who is best known for 1993’s Menace II Society, wrote the screenplay.

Emma was most recently brought to the big screen with Gwyneth Paltrow in the title role in 1996. It was also made into the contemporary high school comedy Clueless in 1995

To help breathe fresh, urban life into this version, the film will feature at least 15 hip-hop songs and is expected to also feature dance numbers that made in films like Stomp the Yard and You Got Served hits for Screen Gems.

According to Variety, the film’s title will most likely be changed to Emme, which was inspired by Lil Mama’s “Lipgloss” music video.

Personally, I think a new title like Emme is a little soft. If anyone out there at Screen Gems is listening, here are my suggestions…

Emma2Society
Emmiqua
Emminemma
Emizzle Movievizzle
Or, in the spirit of Clueless… Whatchoo Talkin’ ‘Bout, Willis?

This last suggestion would involve a rewrite in which Gary Coleman comes out of reality TV hell and stops selling Cadillacs when he learns he never earned his high school diploma. After enrolling back in his local stomping grounds, he becomes the spunky romantic muse to the kids in the yard. Oh, and Todd Bridges kills someone.

Sound Off: What do you think the new title of the urbanized Emma should be?

Breaking: New Line Cinema to Become Part of Warner Brothers?

Neil Miller — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:35:12 +0000

Reports are circling all over the place this afternoon that New Line Cinema, on the eve of release of the Will Ferrell comedy Semi-Pro, is folding like a high school gymnasium chair and is to be absorbed by Warner Brothers. This comes after a long string of failures (namely The Golden Compass) since it released The Lord of the Rings trilogy a few years back. There have also been all kinds of legal troubles over LOTR, including a recent suit by the Tolkein estate.

The following letter has been circulating the web, explaining the company’s demise:

February 28, 2008

To: New Line Colleagues

From: Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne

Subject: Our Company

This afternoon, Time Warner is announcing that New Line will become a unit of Warner Bros. This is, of course, a very difficult and emotional time for all of us who have worked at New Line. While there is not much we can say that can lessen the impact of this announcement, we did want you to know about the decision before you read about it in the press.

New Line will maintain its own identity and will continue to produce, market, and distribute movies. But New Line will now do so as part of Warner Bros. and will probably be a much smaller operation than in the past. Time Warner hopes that operating New Line as a unit of Warner Bros. will allow New Line to focus on the creative side of movie-making, while reducing costs and taking advantage of Warner Bros.’ distribution systems. The company will be holding group meeting with New Line employees tomorrow in Los Angeles and New York to discuss this announcement, and is committed to letting employees know as soon as possible about how this change affects them individually.

For our part, we will be stepping down as Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOS of New Line. This was a painful decision, because we love New Line and the people who work here have been like our second families. But we will be leaving the company with enormous pride in what all of us at New Line have accomplished together. From its humble beginnings 40 years ago, our studio has created some of the most popular and successful movies of all time. Those movies are a tribute to the amazing creative energy and entrepreneurial abilities of the talented people at New Line. They are a legacy that will endure forever.

Although we are stepping out of New Line, we intend to remain actively involved in the industry in an entrepreneurial capacity, and will keep you advised of developments.

We thank all of you who have worked so hard to make New Line such a success. We are very proud of every one of you.

Bob & Michael

UPDATE: Variety is now confirming the news.

From the looks of it, it appears that Time Warner (New Line’s Parent Co.) was not happy with the way things were being run under Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne. Therefore, they have decided to “bring in the Bobs” (yes, that is an Office Space reference). For the folks at New Line, they may see some changes here in the next few days as WB decides how it wants to “reduce costs” and “streamline operations”. I would expect to see some layoffs though as WB cleans up operations. We wish all of our friends in the New Line organization the best.

We’ll keep you posted if and when more details become available.

Source: Slashfilm

Film School Rejects » Studios

WALL-E: Coming to a Theme Park Near You

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Is PG-13ification a New Era of McCarthyism?

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Ten Reasons Why the Weinsteins Can Kiss My Ass

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Emma II Society Coming Soon from Screen Gems

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