By MCN Editor editor@moviecitynews.com
BYOB Fall Wild Cards
Are there any unexpected movies out there that will take audiences (and awards types) by sweet surprise?
April 23, 2024
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
Yes, try to see any of the EXHIBITION ON SCREEN films…we encourage everyone to be part of the worldwide community of film lovers who love art and films about artists…We’re with Eric…films are to entertain yes but also to inform, enthuse and make the world a teeny weeny bit better…
So I looked at the release schedule and everything seems adequately praised. I don’t think it will be much of a surprise if Vox Lux or the Favourite break out, though I am sure they are not on the radar of the average movie goer.
I still think “The Mule” looks like an uber Oscar film.
Never count Clint out.
Second that movieman. Considering Eastwood’s past Oscar success, the fact that it’s based on a true story, and that powerful trailer, I don’t see how The Mule doesn’t get some Oscar love unless it’s somehow not any good.
“…unless it’s somehow not any good.”
Perish the thought, SB!
Fingers double crossed.
Oh I agree, that would be a huge bummer. But could it explain why as of now they aren’t giving it an awards push?
I still need to get the bad taste of “The 15:17 to Paris” out of my mouth.
Egad: Clint’s worst since “Firefox.”
If they’re going for a “popcorn movie vs. awards consideration” sell, why release a trailer that echoes previous Clint awards-type movies like “Million Dollar Baby,” “Unforgiven” and “American Sniper”?
Right?
Yeah that’s a good point. Just hard to understand why they wouldn’t already be pushing it. Screams Oscar, and looks very good to boot.
honestly, who gives a shit (i mean the awards stuff)
I feel like my top ten isjust about already locked in. I don’t know if anything is going to jump out at me over the next 2 months.But I’ve been wrong before.
I like Halloween18 a little more on second viewing. Seeing it sans expectations and desires helps. I was able to take it on it’s own terms. The pacing is relentless. The kills are gory but not over the top. It’s very well-acted. I wish Will Patton Who I love and I thought gave great gravity to an underwritten part) and Judy Greer had more to do, although Greer gets her big, iconic moment. The ending is still a little abrupt. The dance scene goes nowhere. But I’m going against the grain and stating that I liked the doctor subplot and the twist. It’s not very subtle but it is effective for me.He was the anti-Loomis and it was a nice touch. I am pretty much thoroughly satisfied with how this came out. I only wish the ending had a bit of a coda, a few moments with the Strodes. But the final shot does conveys a lot while being a meta-joke aimed at the original.
I hope Suspiria opens here this weekend.
I get what you’re saying leah, and I don’t lose any sleep over awards, but sometimes they are fun to talk about all the same.
I want to see Halloween again sans expectations, but I can’t imagine not disliking the doctor subplot. We’ll see. Suspiria is opening in Milwaukee so you should get it there.
Foreign films don’t really break out, but “Border” is flat-out great. It’s going to surprise a lot of people the way it surprised me when I saw it last week, knowing next to nothing about it.
Suspiria is opening in Warrenville, 30 minutes from me. Not sure when I’ll get down there but I will.
I have a feeling, that Suspiria is going to be talked about heavily for a couple of years, then just fall off the fucking radar. It just screams, “TRENDY,” like few films this year has, or probably will. I am not basing it on seeing it, but just the way it’s being portrayed endlessly.
Leah, here’s the thing with the Oscars this year: those daffy bastards have an easy way to guarantee their award show is still viable, and that’s heavily nominating Black Panther.
It’s literally the easiest choice these people have ever had, and I am almost to the point of guaranteeing they will blow it. Once that happens? Get ready for that shit to be CABLE/STREAM only in the next decade. They are at the precipice, and I can easily see them Thelma and Louise this shit.
good grief i hope ‘suspiria’ isn’t talked about heavily for a couple years, i’ll have to buy an assortment of earmuffs and tongue-holders and freakin finger-prisons (bloody hell why are well-written & conceived, taught, well-constructed & paced movies with some thematic nuance and depth and narrative clarity such a rarity these days, it’s making flames shoot out of my ears)
the new bloated, bloody mess has some weird choreography/dance and tilda of course, i guess that’s something, but not enough — christ maybe guadagnino, in making a movie about a shitload of chicas, could’ve had like a single woman involved in the major production roles for just a scosche of non-penis-y film-making perspective, blech. (ETA there is one scene i thought really quite good in this movie, pity the whole thing isn’t as freshly bone-crunching ba dum dum)
JS don’t hold your breath for Black Panther at the Oscars in the main ‘prestige categories’ (though if they throw a shitload of money into a stupid awards campaign you never know, show-pony that shit up, still i have doubts)
Sorry to hear that Suspiria is that bad. Love the trailer, but the running time is a red flag. Might wait for home viewing. Plenty of other options.
Suspiria seems extremely divisive. The run time doesn’t scare me. The possibility that I could hate it does. Still gonna try to get out for it.
New Von Trier in theaters one night only at the end of November, then VOD Dec 14th. That’ll brighten up the holidays!! Can’t wait.
I don’t see why people are doubting BP’s chances at a nomination. The Rings all got in, Inception got in, Gladiator freakin’ won, action has a direct line in. Panther hit with the same impact as Avatar and it was nominated. I don’t want to say the politics alone puts it in, I truly think it should be nominated, but to ignore a hit of that quality and success during the Oscar So White campaigns would be a horrendous move. The academy could always agree that there was a problem with the nominations being overwhelmingly white and male because the industry itself marginalizes other voices, but once talent is able to break through they damn well better highlight them.
I can easily see BP getting a BP nomination but having no effect on the ratings.
Suspiria does seem extremely divisive but I’m seeing a lot more negative takes lately, including here. That running time is pretty scary and if it’s not very good I can’t imagine the running time not being part of the problem.
Seeing What Keeps You Alive tonight. Have heard many good things. Fingers crossed.
Happy Halloween everyone!!
Bill- That’s interesting news about the von Trier.
Naturally it won’t be showing anywhere near me on the 28th; and naturally my cable company refuses to make any IFC titles available On Demand. It’s berserk.
Hope that I can at least watch it as an Amazon VOD in December.
I had given my “Suspiria” reaction in another thread. Glad to see I’m not alone. (Thanks, Leah.)
For those interested in where it’s playing: http://www.thehousethatjackbuilt.movie/tickets/
So is Susperia this year’s mother! or is this a different kind of chasm of the lovers and haters?
SB- Universal doesn’t have “Welcome to Marwen” listed on their 2018 awards website, so maybe some of the studio sites (e.g., WB’s) are still works-in-progress.
I personally think “Marwen” looks abysmal, but I find it highly unlikely that Universal wouldn’t be giving it a full throttle awards push. Even though “Green Book” is clearly their #1 awards baby this year.
Hey, just trying to be cautiously optimistic here, lol.
this feels like a weird thing to say at this juncture but the blog is humming along with plenty of cool commentary it’s almost hard to keep up!
“I had given my “Suspiria” reaction in another thread. Glad to see I’m not alone. (Thanks, Leah.)”
de nada!
— POSSIBLE SPOILERS —
i went to have a look at what you said, haha yes spot on, hey why stop at six parts – plus epilogue! – why not 8 or 12? go hard or go home
(kajganic is basic at best — ‘a bigger slash’ is pretty good but i think that’s more down to the cast and stylish direction — and yet he keeps getting hired, weird, it’s as if the powers-that-be don’t give a shit about paying for good, ingenious, clean writing and just keep using the same spoons for more of the same mediocre status quo)
really, what is the deal with all the do-nothing subplots and thematic constipation? as my granddad used to say, shit or get off the pot. i mean, how about just getting the basics right: build your character arcs and thematic elements to weave together a tale of unfolding revelation generating tension and suspense, ultimately threading the needle to create something wondrous. i don’t mind long run-times if the story is worth it, but sheesh.
re Black Panther and all the movies hcat mentioned, NOT superhero flicks. the academy clearly has a stick up its ass when it comes to that particular populist flavour, but something has to break through, right (or not)
Anyone else think Aquaman could swing more towards Wonder Woman/quality DC movie? Or BvS? Idk, I got a hunch that says it’s going to be pretty decent.
That’d be quite the flip. To see WW and Aquaman become the lead marquee attraction over Bats and Supes. In my ideal world, they’d all be on the same level. I love them all.
I’ve got to give the MCU credit for making me appreciate and enjoy actual Marvel comics more. I was always more partial to DC and still am in some ways, though I always loved Marvel. (Kind of like how SW was always my first love of Sci-Fi but I still adore ST. Oh how things change)
But now I totally get why many feel Marvel is superior. Idk if I’d be a member of Marvel Unlimited and bought an Oled tablet for comics if not for the quality of the MCU.
As for Susperia, it just seems pretentious. I’ve got not much stomach for pretentious film making in my old age.
I have very little hope for Aquaman, I think quality wise it will be Justice Leaguey and won’t match that box office. I’m not sure if we will see a film as bad as BVS anytime soon, that was very particular shade of ugly.
How is Marvel Unlimited? Expensive? Worth it?
Yeah I second that Hcat. The more I see the Aquaman trailer, the goofier and dumber it looks. And that CGI. Yikes. I’d be very surprised if it’s high-quality.
Aquaman looks dumb, but it is good dumb like Fast and Furious or is it bad dumb like Justice League. Honestly, I have some hopes because 1. James Wan has done a F&F movie and the most successful one at that, and 2. that single take rooftop scene had horrible CGI but at least it wasn’t complete nonsense and was kinda thrilling. Dunno, I can see it being…okay.
That might be the highest praise it receives Palmtree, you might even get quoted in a web ad.
Haha…”Okay” says Palmtree!
Hey, I hate all the DCEU movies minus Wonder Woman, so I guess that does constitute high praise from me.
WW ranks #2 in my DCEU list behind Man of Steel, and now there’ll be no MoS 2 with Cavill unfortunately. Aquaman looks to be embracing the goofy, just not to the extent of Shazam. BvS suffered from just not going with the extended version from the start. Its a much smoother narrative. I think Aquaman’s success depends on how crowded the box office is. If Bumblebee applies to a wide audience, then DC’s troubles may continue.
“appeals” not “applies”. Stupid phone.
There won’t be a Man of Steel 2 ever right? With no Cavill they’ll have a new Superman and start over, not make MoS 2? Also, is a PG-13 Deadpool 2 really going to get a wide release on December 21?
So that’s what that is, Mojo has ‘untitled Deadpool project’ listed on that date and I had no idea what was happening. I guess they had to fill the theaters with something after they pushed back Battle Angel.
This holiday season is perplexing, I have no idea what might be the big film they all look so “huh?” I almost am more excited to see Marween and Mortal Engines since they seem so odd, there must be actually something there to attract filmmakers of these (though past their prime) statures. Those two at least do not seem like the ‘next step in the corporate strategy’ like every other wide release on the calendar.
I have groused before that Disney has lead the charge to fundamentally change the way films get made, instead of a pitch to the studio from the talent, projects are made top down based on the IP that they own and what they feel is the most exploitable. Grinch, Ralph, Poppins, Dumbledore, Bumblebee, Aquaman, Spider-Man, Spider-web all seem like corporate assignments. Its a painful season where ‘what if Will Ferrel was Sherlock Holmes?’ is actually one of the more inspired ideas.
It would make me laugh if when they reboot Superman they decide to give him a mustache just to mix things up.
“Perplexing”? More like dispiriting, Hcat.
And I can’t work up any enthusiasm for “Mortal Engines” (I keep calling it “Mortal Instruments” since it looks like just another generic YA dystopian franchise wannabe) or “Welcome to Marwen” (the trailer alone gives me the heebie-jeebies, and for my money Zemeckis hasn’t made a good film since “Cast Away”) either.
Except for “The Mule” and “Holmes + Watson” (which I hope is as much fun as it looks), I’m tempted to boycott Hollywood’s Yuletide line-up this year.
P.S.= I also read that “Untited Deadpool Movie” was a PG-13 cut of “Deadpool 2,” SB. Sounds more like an April Fool’s joke.
I share your high hopes for The Mule and Holmes + Watson. Ferrell and Reilly have to be good for a few decent laughs. I’m excited to take my kids to Mary Poppins Returns. I’m sure they’ll love it. I also hope Vice is good. Christian Bale will be amazing right? Destroyer could be good. Looks promising.
It does sound like a joke or a little dig at a rival’s big holiday release.
Can’t wait to see “Vice,” but I have a hard time believing it’s a wide Xmas Day release. Seriously. A Dick Cheney biopic, lol? Sounds more like the sort of movie that needs critical validation (and hopefully some Oscar nominations) before cash-strapped Annapurna takes it into America’s heartland.
Ditto (even more so) “Destroyer.”
I’m not entirely dreading “Mary Poppins.” The original was a childhood fave rave, and I do love Emily Blunt.
True but Destroyer does look like a barrel full of holiday cheer at least.
” I also read that “Untited Deadpool Movie” was a PG-13 cut of “Deadpool 2″
Seeing that a PG13 cut should run about 73 minutes they should be able to have a ton of screenings each day.
I believe they filmed new scenes for the PG-13 Deadpool 2 to help flesh it out.
Are they CGIing pants onto the babylegs scenes?
Reconfiguring the end of the Colossus fight?
Everyone twists an ankle when landing from the parachutes?
Will the Vanisher cameo now be Bieber so the teen crowd see someone recognizable?
Does he grab a stash of Pixie Sticks from under the floorboards?
“Let’s take everything out–the voluminous profanity; ultra-violence; etc.–that made the ‘Deadpool’ movies successful, and see how many bucks we can gross with a denatured PG-13 cut.
Psst= We can tell the rubes we’re adding ‘new scenes’ and see if that makes a diff.
Oh, yeah: happy holidays!”
For people who like these things, I’m guessing the lure of genuinely new fanboy fare like “Aquaman,” the “Spider-Man” ‘toon, the “Transformers” spin-off and the Peter Jackson-produced YA dystopian romp (yeah, I’m kidding about “romp”) will take precedence over the re-release of a watered down version of a movie that’s been available on Blu-Ray and DVD (not to mention every streaming platform known to God and Mark Zuckerberg) for months.
Madness.
It really does seem like somebody at Fox’s idea of a bad joke.
Bohemian opening is looking to be just a little higher than A Star is Born.
Mortal Engines is going to be a GINORMOUS FLOP. If they do not put out a trailer that COMPLETELY EXPLAINS WHAT’S HAPPENING! The whole fear of spoilers, is fucking over. People want to know specifically what the fucking point is, and if they don’t get this? Hello Nutcracker. Seriously. What the fuck is that movie about? I know the story of the nutcracker ballet and the story itself, but they are so fucking obtuse with the movie’s story, that no one could give two shits to get engaged.
JJ Abrams made these jamokes believe, that the mystery box is real. It was real, for maybe a minute, but now? Movie after movie are making ridiculous trailer decisions, that are leading to diminishing returns, and it all comes down to their fear to EXPLAIN WHAT THE FUCK THEIR MOVIES ARE FUCKING ABOUT! Marvel Studios even did this shit with Ant-Man and Wasp, so it’s not like the best aren’t capable of stupid fucking marketing. I really look forward to JJ trying to sell Episode IX without TELLING PEOPLE ANYTHING!
Finally… Man of Steel features a nice Superman, but is a shit movie. Superman is going on ice for a while, because Warners is run by dummies. Aquaman looks fun though, and if it’s just a fun fucking time at the movies? It should kick ass during the holidays.
it’s hardly under the radar but THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND is a 2018 release and deserves kudos for editing, cinematography, direction and Huston’s scenery chewing
“and for my money Zemeckis hasn’t made a good film since “Cast Away“
Your money is no good here, sir. The Walk is one of the most slept on films in recent memory. Just phenomenal. Filming it like a heist movie was brilliant.
Sorry, Amblin, but nothing Zemeckis has done post-“Cast Away” has worked for me in the slightest, not even “Flight” which I desperately wanted to love.
“The Walk” felt conceptually botched: except for the (admittedly) dazzling tightrope walk itself, the film couldn’t decide whether its intended audience was young kids or grown-ups. The whole thing seemed (very) awkwardly pitched at a juvenile level.
Ahh, that’s a beautiful pipe dream, Michael B., but I do share your enthusiasm.
“Wind” is a magnificent wreck: the missing “Haunted Hollywood” link between “Sunset Boulevard” and “Mulholland Drive.” It’s a tragedy (and travesty) that Welles was unable to finish the film (which he began shooting in 1970!) so that it could have been opened between “The Last Movie” and “Last Tango in Paris” (both of which seem like its spiritual, “meditations on wounded masculinity” brethren.
Alex Cox is actually presenting a screening of THE LAST MOVIE here in Houston on monday 11/12 as part of a local film fest … other “last” movies from the 1970s … The Last American Hero, The Last Remake of Beau Geste, The Last Tycoon, At Long Last Love, The Last Wave, The Last Picture Show, The Last Detail, The Last House on the Left, The Last Waltz, et al.
The Last Remake of Beau Geste!
“We were identical twins, but somehow Beau was much more identical than me.”
God, Marty Feldman was a comic genius. I miss him.
That sounds like a fantastic fest, Michael B.
Wish I could see some of those films on a big screen again!
Just a few thoughts;
JSP is right. I have NO fucking idea what MORTAL ENGINES is supposed to be about. This no desire to see it.
The DEADPOOL 2 thing is a dumb waste of time.
VICE end up being good but I have no desire to spend 2 hours in the presence of an awful, evil man. Unless it’s Daniel Plainview, but at least he’s fictitious.
I have no feel whatsoever for AQUAMAN. I hope it’s fun but I’m not the biggest James Wan guy.
The holiday film season looks like a clusterfudge. I don’t know how to parse it anymore. But I will be there for HOLMES AND WATSON. That’s the one (fairly) sure bet for me.
Non movie: Netflix’s SABRINA adaptation was a lot of fun. I wish they’d finish the comic books now.
Oh, and one Oscar wish: Michael B Jordan in Best Supporting Actor.
Sabrina is a fun, enjoyable show, but the way it’s shot is annoying as hell. Also, finally finished Hell House, and indeed the last episode is just terrible. It’s two episodes too long and the ending is bad, but overall it’s a good show and the best thing Flanagan has done. However, I can’t believe how many stories I’ve read about how it’s the first great horror show or the best horror show ever. It’s hardly the first great horror TV show, and it’s not even the best of this year. That would be The Terror.
the best TV horror series ever is the 70’s carl kolchak classic creeper ‘the night stalker’, i remember it aired on ABC and my cuz and i watched every ep religiously and then peered in terror out the window into the dark imagining horrors
(this honor might in reality belong the OG ‘twin peaks’ – here’s lookin at you, bob – but likely lots of peeps would argue that OG TP isn’t proper horror)
I’ve always thought of OG TP as horror.
I don’t know if it’ll be up for any awards but I saw the foreign film The Guilty and man was it effective! From the trailer I wondered if they’d be able to pull off what I thought they were going for or if they’d have to pull out some stunt tricks to to keep it from lagging or make a bigger visual finale to satisfy jittery would-be investors. I was satisfied the way they handled it. Even though I didn’t speak or understand the language, I thought tonally they cast well. It was all thought out well, including the how/why of the protagonist starting out being so unsympathetic.
I saw it was at a theater but the times it was playing wasn’t convenient but I was happy to see I could rent it from Youtube or Amazon. I often forget that films are available to see on TV that are still in the theater. I generally like going to the theater even if it means paying a little more or films that don’t necessarily need to be seen on the big screen. But for this one and In the Loop I saw several years back at home while it was in theaters I have to say it was perfectly acceptable to see in my living room. I don’t know why I don’t do it more. It is actually cheaper, more convenient and I don’t have to worry about any of my pet peeves being triggered.
Just saw Roma yesterday….I’ll probably write more about it later…but it zips up to become my favorite movie of the year….I still can’t stop thinking about this amazing story…the breathtaking images….the canvas of the story….it is epic…yet a very small, intimate story. Best Picture nominee (and maybe winner)….and even though it will be out on Netflix in December, you should absolutely see it in a theater.
One upcoming movie nobody has mentioned I think: Robin Hood. What IS THIS? Is it future? Past? Steampunk? What? And why. Smells like a shameful and stupid waste of money.
What? When has a Lionsgate release of a classic legend gone wrong? Sure there was the Three Musketeers, Frankenstein, and Hercules but just because all these other cheap foreign pickups tanked simply means their due. Right?
So besides Bohemian killing which I did not think it would do, Star only dropping 20% while shedding theaters against an opening musical is just WOW!!
Is HBO back up and running on Dish? Who didn’t see this kind of nonsense coming? I get why some antitrust laws were sorta overlooked in the 80s when some companies weren’t able to compete with larger foreign entities but what’s the excuse for turning a blind eye now? AT&T scoffed at the notion that their activities would be bad for consumer and patronize anyone who said their merger would lead to price hikes and lead to a loss of oversight, but not not even 4 months the court says it’ll allow the merger that the DOJ have to appeal the verdict because they were doing what the explicitly said they weren’t going to. I can’t see how this passed in the first place. I hope the judge (can’t believe it wasn’t at least a 3 judge panel) was on the take and not just a big buffoon who was too blind to see the consequences of his decision.
“This will be such a boon for the consumer” and yet I still can’t get the Pac-12 network on Directv because AT&T doesn’t own a share of it.
Stay classy, folks!
I didn’t like the AT&T or the Disney merger, but how much of this is AT&T and how much of this is Dish? Everything I read so far states that Dish has a pattern of this behavior. Can people with Dish still access HBO Go or whatever is included in the subscription?
Isn’t it a bad idea to open Overlord and Girl in the Spider’s Web on the same weekend?
Not to sound sexist, but I’m guessing Overlord skews more male and Girl skews female. And that is using the totally scientific process that my wife wouldn’t see Overlord if you paid her, but wants to see Spider’s Web.
(So I’m seeing Overlord by myself Friday.)
Enough people have played CoD zombies, so Overlord should go over like wet toast. The Girl movie maybe even wetter toast, because who needed more of that shit? Seriously? I understand that Sony is IP starved, but there has to be something out there that would cost less, and possibly be more attractive to an audience.
HC, this seems to be a total shit ATT thing against THEIR BIGGEST RIVAL IN THE SATELLITE SPACE! It’s clearly anti-trust shit, that will only be reckoned with… IF YOU VOTE DEMOCRAT! It’s ridiculous, that that’s where we are as a country, that one party refuses to do any oversight what so fucking ever, and it requires overcoming gerrymandering and all sorts of other shit to possibly get a government elected, who will actually deal with this shit.
AT&T are the god damn worst, and they are only going to get worst as the years go on. Giving them control over a studio, was one of the stupidest things to happen since the AOL/TW merger.
That title is a mouthful and pretty ridiculous. A New Dragon Story or whatever. I don’t care enough to look it up. You’re probably right Pete. I just thought it might not be wise to open two violent, dark, R-rated movies on the same weekend even if each skews to a different gender. Overlord definitely looks better.
I’m seeing Overlord. And maybe Suspiria. Spider’s I’ll catch on video like I did Dragon Tattoo and it was just fine.
That didn’t add much to the discussion but I wanted some attention lol. Besides they’re both gonna probably get trampled by Grinch.
Early voted on Saturday JS, got that election day anxiety lightning firing through the synapses. Like having way too much coffee am feeling spazzy and nauseous simultaneously.
Who decided to open a political movie on election day? Wouldn’t anyone interested be watching returns and everyone else suffer from fatigue or both?
So yes Grinch is going to open big, but even with the holiday crowds, long lead on Christmas, and the tanking of another holiday property (Disney really took a hit in the family jewels, sorry couldn’t think of a more apt metaphor) I am just not feeling Grinch end up in the higher end of Illumination’s catalog.
Just saw that First Man is currently tucked right in between Truth or Dare and Uncle Drew on the yearly chart. That is just insult to injury.
I voted today (in suburban Milwaukee). It was like nothing I have ever seen. Same voting place since 2011. On election day morning in 2012, 2014, and 2016 I walked in, voted, and walked out within a minute. No line. Today I got there when voting started at 7am. There were at least 40 people in front of me. Waited almost 30 minutes to vote. When I left there were at least 50 people in line. Probably closer to 75. Women easily outnumbered men. This makes me hopeful even though I’m incredibly anxious.
Deadline on that WTF?!? PG-13 “Deadpool” movie (I still think it’s an incredibly stupid idea):
All Fox wants for Christmas are 12 more days of Deadpool — that’s certainly one valid interpretation of the studio’s plan to revamp, rename and re-release the year’s biggest R-rated hit, Deadpool 2, as a PG-13 film called Once Upon A Deadpool. There’s more to it than that, however. Deadline has all the details about the studio’s unconventional plan — a plan that may have intriguing relevance when viewed through the prism of the Disney-Fox merger and the future of the red-hot Deadpool franchise.
First some of those details: Once Upon a Deadpool will have a limited-engagement that begins Dec. 12 and concludes on Christmas Eve, positioning it as a box-office play aimed at young teens on holiday break from school. The lion’s share of Once Upon Deadpool is footage from Deadpool 2 that has been edited to meet PG-13 thresholds of violence and language. There’s also new footage in the form of a framing sequence that was conceived by Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Working with a small film crew, Reynolds and his cohorts filmed all the framing scenes in a single hectic day of guerrilla-style filmmaking.
Fuck Cancer
There’s a major charity component to the limited-engagement release, too, as Reynolds explained to Deadline that for every ticket sold $1 will go to the audaciously named F-ck Cancer campaign, which will be temporarily renamed “Fudge Cancer” for the purpose of tie-in fundraising effort.
It’s funny to note that Deadpool is such a native of hard-R filmmaking that even its charity partner has an f-bomb name that requires editing to soften it for a PG audience. Reynolds famously championed the idea of a Deadpool movie for a decade and maintained his position that the scabby, subversive superhero from the pages of Marvel Comics could be a commercial winner — but only if it bravely bucked the Hollywood mindset that superhero franchises naturally belong in the PG-13 pack.
The actor was right and Fox’s faith in the formula was rewarded with a history-making franchise. The February 2016 opening weekend of Deadpool ($132.4 million in domestic box office) stands as the biggest bow by an R-rated film in Hollywood history. Second on that all-time list? The May 2018 opening of Deadpool 2 (S125 million). The sequel finished its 22-week theatrical release in October with a global haul of $734 million.
Even with that success, Hollywood has been reluctant to release R-rated superhero films. Sony’s Venom, for instance, was scrubbed to a PG-13 level after considerable internal debate about the best balance between content and audience reach. When Venom set a new record for an October opening weekend it likely added considerable steam to Fox’s interest in taking Deadpool to a younger audience. The masked mutant mercenary character was one of the top-selling Halloween costumes this year and is popular among grade-school fans that know him from toys, video games, comics, Slurpee cups, etc.
“Fox has been asking for a PG-13 basically since the start in 2006,” Reynolds told Deadline on Monday. “I’ve said no since 2006. Now, this one time, I said ‘Yes’ on two conditions. First, a portion of the proceeds had to go to charity. Second, I wanted to kidnap Fred Savage. The second condition took some explaining…”
Savage, of Wonder Years fame, co-stars with Reynolds in the framing sequence for Once Upon A Deadpool, which hijacks its bedtime-story set-up from The Princess Bride, the 1987 classic that also famously featured Savage as a child actor. In eight scenes were filmed that will be used as interstitial additions to the existing sequel’s footage. The running time of Once Upon A Deadpool is abut three minutes shorter than Deadpool 2 but Fox declined to be more specific about the new footage duration.
Reached last week by Deadline, Savage was still playing along with the spoof concept and the irreverent meta-spirit of the franchise: “While my participation in this film was anything but voluntary. I am happy to learn that Fudge Cancer will be the beneficiary of this shameless cash grab.”
For hit-hungry Fox, Deadpool 2 was the studio’s biggest bright spot this year. The sequel ranks as the fifth highest grossing film of 2018 but no other Fox release cracked the Top 30. The reconstituted PG-13 version of the hit offers the studio a chance of a “Christmas bonus” and could also be repurposed as the franchise’s first viable play in China. The response to the PG-13 repackaging is also being watched closely by the leadership at Disney and its Marvel Studios and may inform the way they incorporate Deadpool into their plans.
With wall-to-wall violence and relentless profanities, the Deadpool films present a tricky fit for Disney, which is banking on the cache of Marvel’s brand not just for feature films but as a core piece of its ambitious subscription streaming service. That service launches next year as a family-safe gateway to Disney’s content. Will Disney keep Deadpool at arm’s length (as a discrete Fox brand, for instance), tame him down for duty in PG13 fare or find some hybrid of those approaches? Time will tell.
The hollow-point humor of Deadpool is the cinematic superhero equivalent of an Eminem album (adult in its content, gleefully sophomoric in its tone) or Beavis and Butthead (retooled, perhaps, as Beaten and Headbutt). “We’ve driven a wedge between parents and their tweens and we hear about it all the time,” Reese said. “This [PG-13 revamp] is a way to try to appease those parents.”
Reese and Wernick hatched the idea of using the Princess Bride motif and Reynolds made the call to Fox to pitch the idea to executives who eagerly embraced the notion as a way to test the flagship franchise in PG-13 waters. Still, the writers know the challenge facing the project is one of their own making. “Deadpool has been a unique property and, by definition, what’s in a Deadpool movie is all the stuff that can’t be in any other superhero movie.”
That’s about to change, one way or another, on Dec. 12. (The same weekend as Aquaman from Warner Bros. and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse from Sony.) There’s not much in the way of historical precedents that lend themselves to comparison but the closest may be Saturday Night Fever. The December 1977 hit drama earned its R-rating with drug use and prominent sexual assault and abortion themes but appealed to younger moviegoers with its hit soundtrack and cultural cache. A PG version was released in 1979 and added $8.9 million on top of the film’s original haul of $85.2 million.
On Monday, the always-witty Reynolds embraced the Saturday Night Fever history as a good omen for Once Upon A Deadpool. “Eighty percent of Deadpool 3 takes place at a 1970’s disco so it only makes sense we’d find a connection to Saturday Night Fever.,” the actor joked. “Plus, Deadpool loves Stayin’ Alive. It’s literally his only superpower.”