Scorsese to direct 'Goodfellas II'--I mean 'I Heard You Paint Houses'

By Sarah Sluis

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro plan to team up for the gangster flick I Heard You Paint Houses. In
mob parlance, a "house painter" is someone who carries out mob hits, splattering the walls with blood and "painting" them.  Thanks to Amazon's "Search inside this book," you can read the first few pages.  Written in the first person, the style has the roguish bravado of a Scorsese narration voiced by De Niro.  If I were Steve Zaillian, who will pen the screenplay, I would lift straight from the book.

Former prosecutor Charles Brandt wrote the book based on the tape-recorded confessions of Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, who claimed to have killed Jimmy Hoffa, the mobster/teamster who disappeared shortly after being pardoned by President Nixon (go figure).  It's ripe material, if familiar, but in the hands of Scorsese I cannot think of a better project.  If he holds true to the source material, we will have a cocky, glamorized gangster in the style of Goodfellas and Casino, not The Departed.

Scorsese has over eleven development credits in IMDB right now, so I cannot say I expect to see this film soon (please do your Teddy Roosevelt movie next, you can beat Spielberg and his Abraham Lincoln film!), but I will be eagerly anticipating the shimmery gunpowder and stylistic swagger that characterizes a Scorsese gangster film.

 

Digital movie-watching takes a few more steps towards legitimacy

By Sarah Sluis

Just a few years ago, Internet video pioneer YouTube filled screens with goofy physical comedy, sing-a-longs, and loads of pirated content, from leaked songs to televisions episodes (streamed in part I, part II, part III, etc., to bypass YouTube's length limits) and film clips.  In the years since, studios have been able to successfully remove copyrighted material from YouTube, create vehicles for their content, and attempt to monetize their holdings.  However, feature-length films still have not penetrated the market to the extent of clips (i.e., the five million people that watched Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on SNL two weeks ago) or television shows.  Two deals that came through over the past couple of weeks stand to change the Internet movie landscape.

Yesterday, Netflix announced it had reached a deal with Starz, which holds the streaming rights to Sony

titles, that will allow subscribers to use the "Watch Now" feature to stream newer films.  Earlier this week, Netflix also worked out an agreement with Disney to stream select television shows, including the ubiquitous "Hannah Montana."  Over a week ago, IMDB (owned by Amazon) announced that visitors will be able to watch select movies for free, as a corollary to their online video rental business.

What will this mean for the industry, as well as the viewing options for the consumer?

Online video players still have a ways to go.  Even with a fast Internet connection speed, some poorly designed players skip and go grainy.  Bright spots are vimeo and hulu, which both tout high definition viewing.  While right now the crowded, competitive market is a good thing, it complicates the viewing experience.  No aggregate of internet video exists, leaving viewers to memorize--or guess--the studios and owners of the content in order to watch programming.

With independent distributors like IFC already pairing theatrical releases with TV video-on-demand, and Magnolia releasing director Wayne Wang's companion film on YouTube to promote the theatrical release of A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, Internet film is very much part of the movie release landscape, before, during, and after theatrical release.  Big action films and tentpoles will probably be the last to receive Internet tie-ins or viewing; they're simply so much better in a theatre, and have the added bonus of playing in IMAX and 3D, two formats that have gained prominence recently for their profitability and their increasing number.  As the industry converts to digital projectors, 3D will multiply its availability, since a relatively inexpensive add-on will allow 3D projection.  One potential threat to theatres' supremacy in quality is the home theatre.  Right now, watching Internet video on television is the realm of in-the-know techies or consumers buying add-on or subscription equipment that transmits the image from computer to television.  Expect that to change.  Like the VCR, the Internet will allow studios to grow the profitability of their product, even as it might siphon away funds from other areas or force theatres to intensify the "event" experience of theatre-going to entice audiences.

Kate Winslet's Oscar Hopes caught in power struggle

By Sarah Sluis

Awards season is months away, but Harvey Weinstein and Scott Rudin have already fought a few rounds over the release date (and Oscar chances) of The Reader and Revolutionary Road, two aspiring Academy Award
contenders starring Kate Winslet and produced by Scott Rudin.  With a prime December 26th release date and positive buzz, Winslet was a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination for Revolutionary Road.

Now, after a lengthy battle between power players Weinstein and Rudin, The Reader will release on December 12th, cannibalizing the Revolutionary Road release and creating a publicity dilemna, while also opening up the possibility that Winslet could win two nominations and then split the Oscar vote.

The Weinstein Company has been dealing with various business and legal challenges as of late, which partly explains why Harvey pushed so hard to move forward the release date.  Needless to say, he has burned some bridges in the process, and much of the fallout has already hit the Internet.  An email purportedly surfaced from Rudin talking about Weinstein trying to finagle editorial rights out of Minghella on his deathbed, which spurred a Page Six fight.

As a prelude to the subsequent rounds of power plays that this decision will engender, I have put together a brief primer to help you place your bets:

In one corner, The Reader:

• Producers Sydney Pollock AND Anthony Minghella passed away this year, and we all know what happens to the value of artists' canvases after they die.  However, both of these producers have already won the coveted Best Director Oscar (Pollack for Out of Africa and Minghella for The English Patient), so it's not like this would be a chance to reward someone overlooked in their lifetime.



• With a WWII-related topic, war criminals and Nazis,  the material is tried-and-true Oscar fodder.

In the other corner, Revolutionary Road:

• This is Kate Winslet's "passion project."  She enlisted her husband, Sam Mendes, as the director, and got Leonardo DiCaprio to re-team with her.  Personally invested in this project, she has the power to work the talk show hosts to her advantage when she promotes both of these films.



• Rival The Reader is still in post-production, giving Revolutionary Road an edge both in terms of film quality and marketing campaigns--I still haven't seen The Reader's trailer, but Revolutionary Road has released the trailer over the internet and in theatres.  Their marketing team also bought a two-minute trailer spot on Mad Men this Sunday to show the full trailer.  Given both the film and television show's focus on retro suburban ennui, the tie-in was spot-on, making Gold Rush, The Hollywood Reporter's year-round awards blog, take notice.

With both films receiving strong advance buzz, it's a shame to pit them against each other.  Of course, any internal competition or sabotage of these films would only end up hurting producer Scott Rudin and star Kate Winslet, who have both put much effort into the success of these film.  Stay tuned, the fight is certainly not over!

Religion trumps war at weekend box office

By Sarah Sluis

The government conspiracy thriller Eagle Eye came in at just under $30 million this week, making it the largest-grossing opener since the first week of August.  Shia LaBeouf's people are probably dancing on top of their desks over this one.  With lukewarm reviews, LaBeouf's star power certainly had a hand in its box office take.  Aside from limited releases Appaloosa ($10,357) and The Duchess ($10,455), it had the highest per-screen average ($8,319).

Coming in with the second-highest per-screen average ($7,764) of the top ten and number four overall, with a total take of $6.5 million, was Fireproof.  Given that Box Office Mojo fixed its budget at $500,000, the film is the success of the week.  I bet Wall Street would kill--or convert--to make that much money on an investment right about now.  The film's success came from its ability to successfully target church groups that would embrace the film's Christian message. 

The film revolves around firefighter Captain Caleb Holt (Kirk Cameron).  While saving people's lives daily, he can't save his marriage to wife Catherine.  Just as the couple seems ready to divorce, Holt's father challenges him to "The Love Dare" and asks him to spend forty days trying to repair his marriage, making it Fireproof.  The promotional materials for the film include a book called "The Love Dare," the opportunity to buy a packet to use during sermons or small groups, and all kinds of flyer-type tickets and mini-books.  What's more, they are actually charging for use of these materials.  While the success of The Passion of the Christ drew a lot of mainstream media attention to church marketing, it's interesting to see how this type of marketing is carried out for smaller films that slip under the radar of big city newspapers, which tend to have smaller populations of churchgoers.

The big loser of the week was Iraqi road trip film The Lucky Ones, which made only $489 per screen and grossed a paltry $208,000.  Ouch.  The poor performance of this film reminds me of Stop-Loss, another
returning Iraqi soldier film that failed to reach audiences--and which also had a trailer that tried to toe the line between patriotism and a vague disgust of war.  While some war films have performed well during the Iraq war, I think it's fair to draw an analogy to the similarly divisive Vietnam, where war programming did not play well.  For me, it's a margin of comfort as a viewer.  Seeing people my age dealing with injuries and trauma from a war that infuriates and divides the American people hits a little too close to home.   I don't want to see a film that will make me squirm, at least not yet.  Moreover, trying to appease those who want to "Support our Troops" by glorifying their experience, versus those who want to "Support our Troops" by bringing them home makes for a difficult plotting and marketing proposition.   On a related note, WWII combat film The Miracle of St. Anna also performed poorly, making $3.5 million and finishing at #9.  It seems audiences would rather see a pair be framed and hunted by their government in Eagle Eye's comfortably fictional setting than address the issues of war and racism promised by The Lucky Ones and The Miracle of St. Anna.

For complete box office results, click here.

All eyes on Shia LaBeouf

By Sarah Sluis

While the presidential debates this evening will likely dampen box-office returns, a few good popcorn options will entertain the under-eighteens and, at least for New York City, those escaping the forecasted rain.

Eagle Eye, 3,510 theatres

Oh, Shia LaBeouf.  Just a few years ago, he played a dorky younger brother on Disney sitcom "Even Stevens."  After a turn in summer tentpole Transformers (soon-to-be-titled Transformers 1), a drunken driving charge, and a supporting role in mega-franchise Indiana Jones IV, he's starring in yet another action-thriller, Eagle Eye.  FJI reviewer Daniel Eagan called it "a B-movie with higher pretensions," and he just might be spot-on.  Executive produced by Stephen Spielberg, the film appears to be a Minority Report-light.  As a vehicle for Shia LaBoeuf, it couldn't be more interesting.  He has worked on three Spielberg (executive produced or directed) films to date: Transformers, Indiana Jones IV, and Eagle Eye.  With no upcoming projects, save the Transformers sequel and a rumored thriller, he will likely be able to leverage any favorable reception to this film into better roles and higher salaries.

Miracle at St. Anna, 1,185 theatres
A Glory for WWII, Spike Lee's epic effort to show the experience of black soldiers on the Italian front apparently suffers from his need to say and do too much.  David Edelstein from New York Magazine notes that "Lee's canvas is impressively vast. The shock is in how coarsely he fills it in," while A.O. Scott calls out the genre shifts (apparently it starts out as a film noir?), the "platoon picture" speeches, and the flashbacks-within-flashbacks as evidence of the film's overwrought nature.

Nights in Rodanthe, 2,704 theatres
Nicholas Sparks is quite the hot commodity, with two additional Sparks adaptations recently announced, albeit with younger stars.  For fans of Message in a Bottle, Nights in Rodanthe awaits you at the cineplexes, if you're too impatient for it to show up on cable.  Watch Richard Gere and Diane Lane swoon into their fated love in this "PG-13 romance porn."

Also releasing this week:

• Tim Robbins and Rachel McAdams star in The Lucky Ones (425 theatres), an Iraqi veteran road trip picture.



• A dropout med student turns into a member of the marijuana-growing community in Humboldt County (10 theatres).



• A firefighter turns his attention to saving his marriage in Christian-themed Fireproof (839 theatres).



• Black comedy Choke (434 theatres), based on a novel by Chuck Palahnuik, centers on a sex addict who also works as a tour guide for a faux-colonial town.

Animated Waltz with Bashir' defies expectations

By Sarah Sluis

This is the age of "reality" television, where everything from "Man vs. Wild" to "The Hills" claims they depict the truth, only to be besieged by scandals when, for example, the public finds out a survivalist stages his "life or death" situations and goes home to a hotel every night.  In this context, seeing a documentary that makes a point to include its subjectivity is incredibly refreshing.

Waltz with Bashir, screening Oct. 1 and 2 at the New York Film Festival, exists on another plane from how mainstream culture represents reality.  An animated documentary, the film uses a combination of flash, classic, and 3D animation to explore director/writer/producer Ari Folman's quest to find out what really happened during the 1982 Israel-Lebanon war, which he had completely blocked from his memory (watch the trailer to get a sense of the graphic novel-esque visuals).  The film goes back and forth between his interviews with people who were there, often with him, and the recreation of events based on these memories.

Waltz with Bashir deviates from genre and tone expectations of a "war" film.  In moments where you
are trained to expect bravery and heroics, there is fear and disorganization.  In one scene, the commander of a tank is shot.  The soldiers seem puzzled by why he has stopped moving.  Then, their whole tank comes under fire, and they flee without weapons, all dying save one soldier hiding behind a rock, who watches the supporting tank roll away in the distance, abandoning him.

So Waltz is not a "war" film, but it's also not an "anti-war" film.  Folman most wants to recover his memory of the Massacres of Sabra and Shatila, and when that memory finally comes to light�the moment where the Israelis found themselves playing the role of the Nazi�he leaves the emotions of guilt and complicity unaccented.  Nodding to the bureaucratic stagnation that perpetrated the action, he shows the numbness and matter-of-fact attitude of a soldier carrying out orders.  Whether his reaction or atonement is enough, right, appropriate?  Beside the point.  By defying our expectations of a war or anti-war film, or that of a hero searching for redemption, Waltz with Bashir develops more emotional nuance.  The climax includes a break with animation to include archival video footage, a final jolt that places the film within the evening news and expands its scope and reach.

The film has already swept the Israeli Oscars, the Oshir awards, and will likely be in the Oscar running for Best Foreign Film�and possibly Best Animated Feature, so make a point to see this unique documentary when Sony Pictures Classics opens it in late December. It deserves the buzz.

VIEW FROM THE TERRACE

By Sarah Sluis

Lakeview Terrace captured the top spot this weekend with a $15.6 million opening.  The neighbor-terror

picture, with some racial overtones thrown in, benefited from Samuel L. Jackson's performance.  While reviewers generally shrugged at the film, as least one critic noted that "Jackson hasn't had a role this good or this complex in many a moon."  With over one hundred films to his credit, Jackson has made something of a career from roles in moderately-budgeted, male-oriented genre films�including, as of late, the unusual snake duo Snakes on a Plane and Black Snake Moan.  While I haven't seen Lakeview Terrace, Jackson's villains are always compelling, and his supporting appearances always carry beyond the screen, making you wish he didn't have to die off so soon.

Two other newcomers, rom-com My Best Friend's Girl and animated tale Igor had disappointing opening weekends, coming in at #3 and #4, with $11.3 million and $8 million takes.  Neither was particularly well-reviewed�Film Journal pronounced Igor "decent" and My Best Friend's Girl "irredeemably ugly."  Audiences smelled a stinker and went for some of the better options in the multiplex.

Burn After Reading did surprisingly well in its second week, dropping only 41% and grabbing the #2 spot.  If I were a teen girl (as I once was), I would go for Brad Pitt in Burn After Reading over the iffy romantic comedy My Best Friend's Girl.

Other newcomer Ghost Town came in at #8 with a $5.2 opening.  The studio dropped 500 theatres from the run at the last minute, perhaps conceding that the film wouldn't be able to expand on its niche audience appeal.

Rounding out the top ten were last week's Righteous Kill, Tyler Perry's The Family that Preys, and The Women.  July's Dark Knight and August's House Bunny have also continued to bring solid returns, each coming in a bit under $3 million for the week.

Both Appaloosa and The Duchess had strong per-screen averages. The Duchess cheated a little bit, as its "per location" average (running on a couple screens in one location) of $29,000 beat out Appaloosa's per screen average of $18,429.  I saw The Duchess this weekend and many of its most dramatic moments played as absurd comedy, which definitely was not mentioned in any of the reviews or marketing of the film.  Ralph Fiennes' performance as the Duke was so bizarre it kept on drawing incredulous laughter from the audience.  One of the biggest laughs came from the wedding night scene, in which Fiennes aseptically inquires for scissors from a maid to undress Keira Knightley.  While not played as creepy, the moment is so bizarrely matter-of-fact the audience couldn't contain itself.  Inappropriate laugher aside, both of these films, with their strong per-screen numbers, should expand into more theatres.  Appaloosa already has a scheduled wide release in two weeks.  Assumedly, The Duchess will also expand, but no definite date has been set.