Hot Button Archive for May, 1998
Weekend Wrap-Up
Who’d a thunk it?! Forty-one point nine MIL-lion dollars! For Deep Impact! Must be something about Paramount. No other studio seems to make me drop my jaw in shock at some of their numbers, but my jaw has been hanging there since Saturday morning when I saw that the film reported a $13 million Friday. That was about what I expected this dud — please someone write me and tell me you disagree — to total this entire weekend. Chew on these numbers. Deep Impact, if these numbers hold, will become the highest grossing non-Memorial Day opening ever, over Twister, which seemed to have a lot more people anxious to pay to see those effects. The per screen average of $13,276 is the highest recorded since Men In Black last summer. Yes, better than any weekend of Titanic. (Titanic did beat $13K a few times, but never hit $13,200.) Also better than Air Force One, Liar Liar and Tomorrow Never Dies. The only other films, in 1997, that had a better per screen weekend were The Lost World and Batman & Robin. So, here’s the rub. If Deep Impact can do $42 million in three days on 3,156 screens, what will Godzilla do over five days on 6,000-plus screens? Anything less than $125 million will be considered a disappointment. Now, THAT’S scary!
As for the rest of the films, why even talk about them? There are some highlights below, but the no. 2 picture was under $5 million.
THE GOOD: City of Angels passed the $60 million mark. Woo did poo ($2.5 million), but it did manage $4,052 per screen average with Jada doing her thing on just 617 screens. And Tom Cruise was at the Laker game on Sunday, so I guess Stanley Kubrick gave him a Get-Out-Of-Production-Free card for at least a few days.
THE BAD: Warren Beatty and Fox (in that order) delayed the wide release of Bulworth by a week. Why? Apparently the buzz wasn’t strong enough for Warren. That might work moving, say, March to April, but one week isn’t enough time for the soundtrack to catch fire, critical mass to build (which is unlikely given the very mixed reactions reviewers have had to the film) or for Fox marketing to heat things up any more than they have. About the only move Warren could use to really drive business would be to stunt Letterman or Leno every single night this week or next. That would show the kind of self-deprecating sensibility that might make this WB seem hip (or, more to the point, not old). The other story floating about is that by delaying, Fox ended up with Bulworth in a one-week exclusive at Century City’s AMC 14 theater. As a result, Mann’s Chinese backed out of being the home of the premiere and the attending footprints-in-cement ceremony that goes with that. All things considered, that 10-second film clip would have gotten Bulworth more free publicity than a week of ads can match.
THE UGLY: Black Dog dropped an impressive 56 percent this weekend, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone. What scared me was finding out that Black Dog was originally a Kevin Sorbo movie. If Hollywood careers are about ebb and flow, Patrick Swayze is now wading in the warmest part of the kiddie pool.
THE CONTEST: This weekend’s box office contest is over. Results tomorrow. But if you want a chance to go to the Godzilla premiere in NYC, go to the home page and click on the reel.com logo on the black bar on the left. There, you can enter their Godzilla contest. Meanwhile, next Monday at rough cut, make plans to join me for the first Hot Button live chat, complete with news and views from the Godzilla junket I’ll be attending next weekend. Keep an eye out for more details.
TWO BAD MOVIES EQUAL: Woo + Deep Impact = Deep Woo Impact. Jada Pinkett Smith does a film so bad that a movie columnist who really thinks the world of Jada feels compelled to say something that might offend Will Smith’s pregnant wife. Will doesn’t think it’s funny and refuses to work for Warner Bros. until said columnist is made to watch The Big Hit and The Replacement Killers over and over until his eyes and ears bleed. On the edge of bad movie death, the columnist is saved by Harry Knowles who nurses our hero back to health with a steady diet of movies John Woo actually directed. Indebted to Knowles, the columnist dyes his hair red, gains 150 pounds and starts using “ain’t” and “shucks” in most of his sentences.
JUST WONDERING: Are you a Harry Knowles lover? Maybe a Harry Knowles hater? Either way, you will probably enjoy checking out Mark Ramsey’s parody of the Texas Rumor King’s site, Ain’t It Cruel News.
BAD AD WATCH: Deep Impact’s ad starts with Gene Shalit and ends with Richard Schickel, but in between, it’s Sixty Second Preview, Ron Brewington, Jeanne Wolf’s Hollywood and someone named Mike Cidoni from an unknown ABC-TV outlet. Brewington is especially grating with “One of the most important films you’ll see this summer!” What will he say for Saving Private Ryan? “You’ll love this movie so much, you’ll wish you were in World War II!?” (Of course, he’d then have to add, “WWII kicks WWI’s butt! Better Nazis! Faster airplanes! Puts the concentration in concentration camps!”)
READER OF THE DAY: There were a number of letters like this one last week. From Jshih: “You said you haven’t heard from anyone who really loved City of Angels; well, I’m one moviegoer who loved it. Maybe it’s because Nicolas Cage is my favorite actor and Meg Ryan is one of my favorite actresses, but the story was interesting (not cheesy, like I thought it would be when I was going to see it) and the acting was nothing short of extraordinary. I have to agree that it’s either a ‘love-it’ or ‘hate-it’ movie since it appeals to a small audience, but I loved it.”
News By The Numbers
10. OVITZ SIGHTING: After Mike Ovitz surfaced on Broadway last month (by way of an investment in a theatrical production company), he’s now talking to the NFL about bringing professional football back to L.A. by 2002. Ovitz would own the team, the stadium and the immortal souls of any players who would sign onto his team. Seriously, Ovitz is stuck in the Barry Diller dilemma at the moment. How do you become “just a rich guy” after being seen as the most powerful man in Hollywood? Diller, in The New Yorker article about Universal and Edgar Bronfman Jr. (more on that below), said something fascinating regarding keeping his deal for Universal’s TV holdings quiet until the deal was done. “I could not be involved in a transaction that I did not complete. If this got out, I would have to run Venezuela! In the image of the world, I had failed twice (losing bids for Paramount and CBS) and was now (with his purchase of Home Shopping Network) in a small-time venture.” Ovitz only has the Disney debacle over his head, but uneasy lies the formerly crowned head.
9. SURPRISE!: MPAA chief Jack Valenti returned from China with word that three films ticked off the Chinese government and that there were subtle threats that these films could sour the movie trade with the last Big Red. The movies? Kundun, Seven Years in Tibet and Red Corner. Duh!
8. I’M THE LIZARD OF THE WORLD!: Godzilla is on his way, and the news stories continue to proliferate. Two stories this week. First, the film started screening for exhibitors this week. And while the reaction was good, the concern that Sony would squeeze a record percentage of the gross from exhibitors (THB 4/02/98) seems to have passed. The split will just be hugely in the studio’s favor, as usual for mega-movies. Also, Sony is already working on a game plan for the Godzilla TV sale. Don’t expect another Titanic-style debacle (THB 2/14/98) since, like The Lost World and Men In Black, no one will be surprised if Godzilla does mammoth numbers.
7. COLOR MY WORLD: Technicolor debuted a new version of one of its oldest film processing techniques this week. Dye transfer film printing, which was last seen in 1974’s The Godfather, Part 2, is back. It will be seen on the big screen in Godzilla and Bulworth, to be followed by a re-release of Gone With The Wind on June 26. We saw a reel of film processed through the new and improved dye transfer system beside the now standard chemical process, and the difference was clear. Brighter whites, redder reds and more variations on black. Serious fans will notice the difference, while the average viewer will, frankly, not give a damn.
6. YOU DON’T BRING ME BULLETS ANYMORE: Charlton Heston, macho stud of the ’60s and NRA vice-president-elect of the ’90s, has declared war on Barbra Streisand, calling her the “Hanoi Jane” of the anti-gun movement. OK, Let’s look at what brought on this attack. Streisand had the nerve to produce a TV movie that was pro- gun control. I don’t think La Streisand need debate you on the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms), given that you still haven’t gotten a handle on the First Amendment, Mr. H. Besides, you should know better. If there weren’t so many guns around, the Apes never would have taken over the planet.
5. DON’T KEEP ON TREKKING: Paramount has become infamous for its aggressive defense of its Star Trek copyright. This week’s victim was Sam Ramer of New York City, who wrote a book called Joy of Trek, a lighthearted dating guide for non-Trekkers (or Trekkies. Whatever!) who are trying to relate to their Trek-loving significant other. With 10,000 copies of the $10.95 (retail) book in print, Paramount is suing for $22 million. Seems illogical, doesn’t it?
4. LOLITA LIVES: Showtime will premiere Adrian Lyne’s Lolita this September. Finally a reason for Roman Polanski to buy that satellite dish.
3. MORE WARNER CUTS: Warner Bros. execs finally went public this week after, they hope, handing out the last of their pink slips. WB Chairman and CEO Terry Semel said that the studio will cut back its recent average of 28 films a year to 20. Also, they’ll apparently cut back on the event movies, most likely sticking to summer and Thanksgiving/Christmas. Warner Bros. is the only studio without a legitimate “art” division, as New Line/Fine Line continues to chart its true independence. So, the studio will try to make some $20 million movies themselves. Maybe they should buy one of the few major indies left. Anyone thinking PolyGram? Go to the next story.
2. CORPORATE POLYGAMY: Yet another company is preparing to be swallowed up by the giants. This time it’s PolyGram, the parent of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (The Usual Suspects, Fargo, Four Weddings and A Funeral). But the film division is only about 15 percent of the company. The riches are in their music division, which has about 17 percent of the global music market with a roster including U2, Elton John and Sting. (That makes it the top dog.) The cost of a purchase would be around $12 million. The buzz is that the inside track belongs to Disney and Universal. Disney, of course, is expected to engulf the planet (which reminds me of the Mel Brooks joke in Silent Movie in which he renamed then Paramount parent Gulf & Western, Engulf & Devour.) But why Universal? Go to the next story.
1. THE EDGAR FILES: The Hot Button had its way with Edgar Bronfman Jr.’s New Yorker article just days ago (THB 5/07, “U Ought To Know Better”), but I had only read excerpts at that point. It got better when I got a look at the whole article. With every word Bronfman had to say about how he was going to change the dynamic of Hollywood, I just kept thinking of the disastrous Columbia rein of producer David Puttnam. The only difference is that Puttnam actually had a sense of how and why to make a movie. Edgar’s real obsession is with the music business. He’s been angling to purchase EMI for about $9 billion, suggesting in The New Yorker article that he would be willing to overpay and face the jibes of the Hollywood intelligencia (that could be an oxymoron). So what’s $12 million for PolyGram? Plus, he’d have another film company to mismanage. (Side story: I was at a party a little while ago and I got into a “What the hell is going on at Universal?” conversation with a Disney exec. As it happened, one person did spring to Bronfman’s defense. A songwriter who was working with Bronfman under the pseudonym Sam Roman. Edgar was a good guy, he told us, and he’d never give the feature division to Imagine chief Brian Grazer. We’ll see.) The goofiest thing in the article was actually from Edgar Sr. He said, “We could have taken over DuPont (the stock of which has skyrocketed since Seagrams sold its stake to raise cash for the Universal takeover), but what fun would it have been (for Edgar Jr.) to go to Wilmington, Del., and run that business?” Fun?!?! Seagrams missed out on $9 billion by selling its DuPont stock! FUN?!?! The rich are different.
BOX OFFICE CHALLENGE: Woo is the sponsor. The bonus gift for the top winner is a Deep Impact uniform polo shirt. All that’s left to do is to enter.
READER OF THE DAY: Matt H. wrote, “No need to apologize for revealing that William Holden floats dead in a swimming pool in Sunset Boulevard. It happens at the beginning of the movie, and then we flashback to see how it happened.”
Weekend Preview
The first comet is on the way, but I don’t expect it to rock the world. However, Deep Impact only needs to make medium impact to take the top spot. I’m estimating a $15 million opening for President Morgan Freeman and company. I’m guessing there will be people who will have the buzz around He Got Game in their ears and head to check it out between playoff games this weekend. (Second place with a 17 percent drop to $6.3 million.) Every time you hear a bell, someone is going to see City of Angels. I haven’t gotten one letter from anyone who really loved this film, yet it’s holding up pretty damned well. In its fifth weekend, it should still stay in the top three with a 30 percent drop to $4.6 million. Close behind, New Line is pitching Woo with the currently very pregnant Jada Pinkett Smith. Yes, that’s her name now. It’s in her Will. (Will! Get it? Will Smith! She’s married to Will Smith! OK, so it wasn’t funny. What’s your point?!) Look for Woo to rack up $4.5 million in fourth place. And closing out the Top Five, Les Misérables outlasts The Big Hit, dropping just 35 percent to $3.3 million.
Fighting for the sixth and seventh spots should be The Spice Boys (aka the cast of The Big Hit) vs. The Spice Boy (leo, Leo, LEO!!!), as Titanic holds tight and The Big Hit drops deeply, both with around $3.2 million. Paulie the parrot should squawk his way into eighth, dropping just 20 percent again to $3 million. In ninth, it’s Patrick Swayze in drag as a gay trucker who has to fight for his life. Oops! My mistake. It’s just that the title, Black Dog, has almost as little meaning as To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. (If they wait any longer to do a Dirty Dancing sequel, it will have to be called Dirty Depends Dancing.) I see Black Dog as the big dropper of the week: 50 percent, to $2.4 million. Closing out the Top 10, either The Object of My Affection or Lost In Space will survive one last week on the list by staying just above $2.1 million. We’ll know which one stays and which one goes on Monday.
THE GOOD: Godzilla will be taking over Madison Square Garden for its premiere.
THE BAD: The last film to open at MSG was Private Parts. It opened to less than $15 million. Not that I’m superstitious.
THE UGLY: If you think Black Dog is more like what you find on your shoe after a dog has been walked, imagine if the original casting had stayed in place. It could have been Black Dog, starring Kevin “Hercules” Sorbo. Yuck!
THE CONTEST: The official sponsor this week is New line’s Woo. But the person who scores highest in his or her picks will also receive the official flight shirt from Deep Impact. (You know, the blue polo shirt with the red collar that Robert Duvall and his crew wear.)
THREE MOVIES EQUAL: The Object of My Affection + The Big Hit + Deep Impact = The Big Object of My Affection Has A Deep Impact. Marky Mark revives his role as Dirk Diggler in this pornographic comedy about a gay porn star who knocks up a TV actress with a really neat haircut (Jennifer Aniston) right before an asteroid hits earth. With Robert Duvall as Cleat, the guy who coaches Dirk on having relations with members of the opposite sex, and Morgan Freeman as the only actor self-reflective enough to be embarrassed by having accepted a multi-million paycheck for being in this piece of crap.
JUST WONDERING: What’s up with Daisy von Scherler Mayer’s name? When she did Party Girl, she used the whole thing. As director of Woo, she’s suddenly Daisy V.S. Mayer. And in the Sony trailer for Madeline (due out July 24), she’s just plain old Daisy Mayer. I guess she’ll eventually be known as “The Director Formerly Known As…” and have a flower symbol as a name.
BAD AD WATCH: OK, so you have a low-profile foreign film that you want to be a sexy sell. But the MPAA decides not to make too big a fight about it and pulls its NC-17 rating and gives you the R you claimed you wanted. How will your audience know that this is really a steamy flick? Miramax has the following above their ad for Artemisia: “Miramax Films thanks the MPAA for overturning the NC-17 rating and allowing Artemisia to be seen in its intended form, upholding the artistic integrity of this groundbreaking film.” They apparently didn’t have room to add, “And the really hot foreign babe in the photo is naked a lot, too.”
READER OF THE DAY: Chris wrote: “I think Paul Wunder and friends have two games they love to play and two they don’t. The two they do play are the ‘What’ve you been smoking game?’ or the drug-like ‘moving rush’ experience thing (‘the roller-coaster ride of your life’ or ‘a wild, fun ride’ or ‘a smart, hip adrenaline rush’) and the ‘I know you liked that movie, but this one is 10 times better’ game. (‘The best Batman ever! More action! More special special effects! More humor! More everything!’ By the way, what’s a special special effect?)
“The two they don’t play are ‘The Surprise Game’ — no (top 10) movie ever surprises Ron Brewington, Susan Granger or Bobbie Wygant of KXAS-TV. Ever hear Paul Wunder say ‘surprisingly funny’ or ‘a rare treat!’? Of course it ain’t a RARE TREAT! Because every movie is the best movie ever to him — or the ‘Top 10 List’ Game. (These no-namers can’t make a 10 list out of the 162 movies they gave four stars to.)
“And the award for false advertising goes to D3: The Mighty Ducks, which proclaims on its video clamshell package ‘”The quack attack is back!,” says USA Today.’ USA Today ACTUALLY gave the movie a dismal two stars and said ‘the quack attack is back, you may want to duck.’ “
Mad About The Boy
You have to admire a gal for sticking with her dream. Madonna is hooking up with the infinitely more charming and talented actor Rupert Everett in The Next Best Thing. It’s the story about best friends who decide to have a baby together before the biological clock runs out. Madonna plays Jennifer Aniston. OK, I lied. Jennifer Aniston has had a more successful film career than Madonna.
THAT TINY SUCKING SOUND: Jonathan Lipnicki is taking his cute-kid-with-glasses-and-a-lisp act to The Little Vampire. It’s the story of a little kid who becomes buddies with a little vampire. Watch for the Jerry Maguire mini-star to offer a variation on his signature line, “Do you know that a quart of human blood weighs 3 pounds?”
YOUNG LOVE: Lolita has finally found her place in the sun. She’ll premiere on Showtime (the cabler who had the exclusive on Showgirls), starting this August. This has been a long-winded saga, but it is now finally over. Someday, someone will find out the real story behind all this. It still makes no sense that if the producer (Guild-Pathe) was willing to make the right deal, that Miramax or October wouldn’t release the film in the U.S. No doubt they’ve released far more controversial material. I still think the budget ($58 million) meant the asking price was just too high. All this controversy will be more valuable in the home video and foreign markets than a $10 million 300-screen domestic release. And by the way, all of this inspired me to read the Vladimir Nabokov classic while on vacation last week. It was great. Better than I would have ever guessed. I haven’t seen the current version, but the novel is one of the funniest pieces of writing you could ever read. Just terrific. I hate to recommend reading, but have someone rip the cover off the book before you start and you’ll never know the difference.
N IS FOR NUMBSKULL: Quentin Tarantino continues not to get it. The New York Post‘s Page Six reports that QT got into a brawl at a restaurant. (Just like with his last fight. Maybe it’s a blood sugar problem.) Turns out that Tarantino was explaining to his companions that African-Americans have wide noses by sticking his fingers up his nose, spreading his nostrils and saying, “You know what they all have! It’s the wide nose!” What brilliant dialogue! I guess the black couple who overheard this delightful comedic insight and took offense simply didn’t understand why a gawky white boy should be given a free ride when it comes to racial disrespect. Or maybe they had just seen Jackie Brown. When controversy cropped up over the use of one particularly ugly racial slur at least a 100 times in that film, Quentin explained that the term was just part of the world in which he grew up. Doesn’t sound like he grew up at all.
U OUGHT TO KNOW BETTER: Universal owner Edgar Bronfman Jr. seems to have a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease. First, he got smacked around for suggesting premium pricing for movies while his company has very few premium movies. In his capacity as owner of Seagrams, he’s been open about wanting more liquor advertising. Now, he’s in New York Magazine calling Hollywood a “dumb town.” I can’t say I disagree with that last sentiment, but you better show you can tame this monster before calling everyone else stupid. Right now, Bronfman, as a studio owner, seems like Bill Holden in Sunset Boulevard — floating dead in the water while narrating his own story. (Sorry if I ruined the ending for any of you. It has been 48 years.)
The company has lost Spielberg, is almost completely beholden to Imagine Entertainment (which has led to speculation that Imagine producer Brian Grazer will take over Universal) and seems to be without a clear direction, other than down. Bronfman is also freewheeling in shooting barbs at former Universal chairman Lew Wasserman. After all, Wasserman only built and maintained a major studio, from before TV and into the video age. He built the only studio theme park, outside of Disney, of any value, giving his studio consistent cash flow in less successful years in the movie business.
And while all the other studios were maintaining their lots or selling off parcels for condos, Wasserman was expanding his backlot, again creating another consistent income stream. In his final years, there were barbs to throw at Wasserman and his team, no doubt, but blaming the previous management only holds for so long. Besides, it would be a lot smarter to shut up and let Warner Bros. take all the heat. The difference is this: WB toppers Semel and Daly know that blaming others won’t work. You’ve got to just keep going. That’s why they have seen studio heads and owners change at every studio in town over their tenure. They’re the sole survivors. And I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. Bronfman.
CONTEST WINNER: Only three of you got the top four right. And two got the Top Five, Joe Oliver of Granite City, IL and Feng-Ying Shih of Bryn Mawr, PA. (Yeah, you’ll get something for hitting the Top Four, Donovan Pagtakhan of Vancouver, BC.) This week, it’s Deep Impact and Woo opening wide. And this week’s top contest winner will get prizes from both. Runner-ups will just Woo it! Start calculating now!
READER OF THE DAY: Michael P wrote: “Can you tell me why Gwyneth Paltrow is being such a bitch bad mouthing Titanic right and left? (I read this in TV Guide around the time of the Oscars. She said, ‘I’d rather anything win than Titanic.’ She has also been quoted in several tabloids saying she does not know what everyone sees in Titanic.) After three film flops in a row, she must be secretly wishing she hadn’t turned down the role of Rose in Titanic. Or maybe she was turned down for the role. I will not pay to see another film of hers!”
Ranting and Raving
The battle of the old men is revving up for next weekend. There’s a lot of debate in town as to whether Warren Beatty vs. Robert Redford will split the market and hurt both films. The theory is that both men appeal mostly to older women and that these women will have to choose between the hunks of the ’70s. I say, “Bulworth!” I would go the other direction on this controversy. I think that, perhaps, both studios are making the safest play they can. They are giving two stars they still value a slot in what is still considered prime time, though the first weeks of May are no different, in theory, than mid-March. In fact, spring and holiday breaks make other slots more viable. In the meantime, the studios and the stars have a built-in excuse against failure by letting these two face off.
Last year, there were three early May hits, but two of the three (Austin Powers and Breakdown) had moderate expectations at best, and only in that context were they hits. Austin Powers made $54 million domestic and Breakdown did $50 million. (Kind of funny how Austin Powers is seen as so big a hit while Breakdown is forgotten, huh?) Neither film had the kind of up side that experts would theorize from the spawn of Bob and Warren. The Fifth Element did. It had Bruce Willis and some great effects. It also capped out at $64 million, and it had one week extra to earn its keep before the BIG movie hit screens (The Lost World). Is a $50 million take going to be considered a hit for either The Horse Whisperer or Bulworth? Nope. Geez, Beatty’s Dick Tracy did over $100 million and was considered a flop and that was back when $100 million meant something! (I still think Disney would have done better with my tag line, “If you don’t know Tracy, you don’t know Dick!”)
A little history, too. Both of these films were originally slotted for Christmastime, and while it’s true that both of these directors like to take their time, it is not unreasonable to expect delivery by March or April. If either film can be said to be smarter to wait for May, it would be The Horse Whisperer, because it’s now far enough away from Titanic that some people may be ready again for a romance fix. Also, as a non-action romance (a new category created by Titanic), it only has so much upside to begin with. If the film is truly a phenomenon (and remember, The Bridges of Madison County only did $71 million domestic), it will continue as counter-programming to Godzilla. If not, the slot doesn’t much matter. Except that Beatty is there, too.
Bulworth, on the other hand, should have been in The Birdcage slot. There are only five $50 million movies so far this year. Three are action films. City of Angels had April. The Wedding Singer had February. Bulworth could have had May. And if the film is good, it would have had $20-$30 million more than it will on May 15. On the other hand, if it sucks (which I hope to God it does not), it’s sure a lot safer being able to say Redford split the market. What could we do? Alternatively, since Fox is already eating millions in interest payments by holding the film until May, if they really believed in the film, they could have held it into the summer as counter-programming. Bulworth, a good Bulworth, smells like a great late-July comedy. A real change of pace, and they could double their May numbers in that slot. But all the buzz has always been that Fox doesn’t really believe in this film. I hope the buzz is wrong. Because there’s always a place in my world for a film of the caliber and spirit of Heaven Can Wait. And for that matter, I’ll be thrilled if Redford has made a film as gentle and heartfelt as Eastwood’s The Bridges of Madison County. We’ll all know soon enough.
READER OF THE DAY: First, A Correction From Steve: “Last time, I wrote the name of character General Lee, the Chinese voice provided by Jackie Chan, is supposed to be Captain Shang. General Lee is his Chinese name. Got it?”
Now, Charles A.: “I have recently stumbled onto this site and find the Hot Button enjoyable. On the other hand, I don’t enjoy the reader comments at the end of the column. Very often it is the same predictable whining about Hollywood and the people who watch their movies.”
To read the rest of Charles A’s take on you all and a whole lot more of your letters, check out Ask David (there’s a place to click just below the column). Starting this week, the section will feature Hot Button and Whole Picture readers, plus anyone else who has something to say about the movies. Updates Wednesdays.
Trend-O-Rama
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: Stanley Kubrick is not only following his own trend by re-shooting significant portions of Eyes Wide Shut after wrapping for, essentially, the third time, he’s one again dumped an actor over scheduling conflicts with other films. First Harvey Keitel got cut because the ever-extending schedule smacked up against his obligation to another film and was replaced with director/actor Sydney Pollack. Now, Jennifer Jason Leigh is out (she started production on David Croenenberg‘s eXistenZ), and Swedish star Marie Richardson is in. Seems like Tom Cruise is about the only star who has enough control of the world around him to survive the rigors of Kubrick’s whims. That said, T.C. is lucky to have added Kubrick’s name to his resume before the master hangs it up. There is no director that has done more genius-level work than Kubrick. Even his crap holds your attention.
DANCE, YOU BASTARD, DANCE!: Sony has Dance with Me ready to hit theaters. Miramax, who scored in a low-key way with the Japanese Shall We Dance?, is prepping an English-language version. And now, PolyGram is in for Mad About Mambo, about a soccer player who uses dance to enhance his athletic performance. Disney, of course, was the last studio to kill the musical, with Swing Kids, the Nazi Musical (its unofficial title). Maybe they’ll manage to add Bosnia Side Story to their year 2000 line-up.
UP, UP & AWAY: Despite Batman & Robin, stars are lining up to try on superhuman skills. True, Superman delays and Harry Knowles is the only person pushing the “Kurt Russell is Batman 4 in Batman 5″ rumor. (A story that is made even more unlikely given that Russell would be the most expensive Batman yet and the studio, which will not make another Batman with Joel Schumacher, is unlikely to hand the franchise to another director so soon. To give Harry his due, he keeps calling the rumor “BS.” But he still keeps running it). But flying seems to appeal to this generation of stars. Most recent signee: Will Smith, who will work for ID4′s Devlin and Emmerich (this time only as producers) on The Mark, about a regular guy who gets superhuman powers from a dying stranger. The difference between Smith in costume and all the others? He makes the costume look good, not the other way around.
OY, IRVING!: John Irving movies are cropping up again. Of course, when this starts happening, it usually means most of them will never get made. A Prayer for Owen Meany will finally hit screens this fall (I hope) as A Small Miracle. Perhaps. (It’s the third title, the other one being Angels and Armadillos). Lasse Hallström just signed on for Miramax’s version of The Cider House Rules. No actors yet. And Jeff Bridges is attached to Son of the Circus, which is desperately seeking financing. In the meantime, rent Garp and bide your time.
SEX & HONOR: I hated the movie Dangerous Beauty, but loved the idea for the story. I guess maybe Steven Spielberg felt the same way. He has now set Memoirs of a Geisha as his next film, the story of a woman, sold into slavery at 9, who overcomes all by becoming a geisha. Like, Dangerous Beauty, it’s a love story. At least it will be when they hire a screenwriter.
SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE: After signing Mandalay Entertainment to a production deal a few weeks ago, Paramount showed that it’s sticking with its “the more the merrier” plan for financing its projects. Mandalay has signed away Japanese exhibition rights to 16 or so films over the next four years in return for $100 million or more in upfront dollars to be spent on production of the films under the deal. Paramount continues to answer the question, “Is it worth gambling in the world’s highest stakes casino if you aren’t willing to go all the way?” (Answer: Probably not.)
READER OF THE DAY: Kate.H.: “I saw City of Angels, Sliding Doors and The Object of My Affection this weekend, which make for a collective miserable outlook for single women. What’s with that? Meg Ryan pulled off the surgeon role in City of Angels much better than I expected — she portrayed the intelligent focus to render it believable (as opposed to, say, her role in The Doors, where she was miscast as drug-addled). I don’t know about Nicolas Cage as an angel though… a bit hairy and mouth-breathing for that. Or something. Gwyneth Paltrow’s popularity continues to confuse me. And why cast her in a British role? Sliding Doors has an interesting premise, but I’d have liked to have seen what a more powerful actress could do with the role. The Object of My Affection was… I dunno. Not bad. Jennifer Aniston acquits herself nicely. Paul Rudd’s role is written as a milquetoast. Would’ve been interesting to have the two men (Rudd and John Pankow) more equal. Pankow is such a stinker (the role, not the actor) that it’s hard to see why Aniston would ever end up with him.”
Weekend Wrap Up
Spike’s got game. The angry auteur took first place at the box office for the first time ever (a fact that surprised the hell out of me) with He Got Game. With $8.8 million in domestic receipts, the film made $1.8 million less than Malcolm X’s opener, but the competition (Dracula and Home Alone 2) were a lot stronger than this week’s group of surrounding product. The one odd note here — Disney only put the film onto 1,319 screens, well below the now traditional 2000+ screen release pattern for major films. Had they been less conservative, the film would likely have passed the $10 million mark without much trouble. Oh, well. Something else for Lee to moan about.
The angels moved back in front of the devils as City of Angels continued to descend gracefully (27 percent to $6.6 million in weekend four) as The Big Hit took a big hit (44 percent to $6 million in week two). Les Misérables ($5.3 million for fourth place) was hardly a sensation, but its per-screen average of $3,588 was second best amongst the Top 10, behind only He Got Game. Word of mouth on Les Miz should be soft, but generally good, so expect the film to hold up pretty well next week. In fifth place, much to my surprise, was Black Dog. Even its $4.6 million take seemed surprisingly high for this inexplicably titled “Whatever happened to” Patrick Swayze flick.
In the Second Five, Titanic‘s drop slowed to just 16 percent in week 20. Throw another $4.1 million into the Big Boat. Paulie continues to stay solid as the world around him flutters. After dropping just 18 percent last week, the film dropped less than 1 percent this week, adding another $4.1 million to its total. The Object of My Affection fell 31 percent and five spots to eighth with $3.5 million to pass the $20 million mark. Lost In Space made what will probably be its last Top 10 appearance, falling into ninth place with $3.2 million. And last but not least, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Sliding Doors slid into the 10 spot with $1.7 million on just 495 screens with a $3,434 per-screen average. The film will likely slide into oblivion next week, but it could be one of those surprise cable/home video hits, based on word-of-mouth that I’ve heard. Dropping below the Mendoza Line (a baseball reference for those of you who hate sports) are The Odd Couple II, Mercury Rising, The Players Club and Scream 2, which is still chasing the $100 million mark.
TWO BAD MOVIES EQUAL: Two Girls and a Guy + Black Dog = Two Girls and a Black Dog. Black Dog gets caught with two female owners in the same apartment. When they catch him defecating all over both of their apartments, they corner him and he bites them both, but instead of rubbing his nose in it, he charms them into petting him. Benji, in a powerful directing debut, was forced by the MPAA to cut Black Dog’s solo oral sex scene, but complained, “Hey! I do it in public all the time, and I almost never get hosed down.” Starring Patrick Swayze, who plays Black Dog in a high-tech dog suit created by the Henson people so that Michael Jackson could wander the streets without bodyguards and a mask.
BAD AD WATCH: Black Dog sports pull quotes from The Interview Factory and Lisa Sanders of KCOP. Best of all, from Rick Anthony of LAFM (L.A. Film Market?), this classic: “A moving rush.” What the hell does that mean?
READER OF THE DAY: WARNING! Taiwanese info on Lethal Weapon 4 and Mulan to follow. If you don’t want to know — and, hey, it’s nothing that should ruin the movie too badly — stop now and don’t read this report from Steve Chien-Wei Weng: “I am so happy David went to vacation last week, so everyone could talk about whatever they want. I know you won’t believe it, but it’s true. I have some information about Mulan and Lethal Weapon 4. First, through an arrangement by Warner Bros., journalists flew from Taiwan to L.A., visited the Lethal Weapon 4 set and talked to Jet Li, Mel Gibson and Richard Donner. All the reports were printed in the local newspaper on April 30 and May 1. What did they say? Mel Gibson told them that Rene Russo‘s character will get pregnant in the end of movie, but they won’t get married (only plan to). He also said he will direct the new movie (Fahrenheit 451) but without Tom Cruise. (Gee, two big movie stars never meet, what a pity.) He didn’t know why news said so. When the journalists answered that the source was from the Internet, he said he didn’t like people creating the fan club websites for him. He thought that it was some kind of disturbance to his private life. Because Jet Li joined the LW4 team, we can be sure about one thing: there’ll be more fighting scenes for him, more emotional scenes for Mel and Danny. By the way, Jet Li’s character is Ku. Is there any possibility for Lethal Weapon 5? Richard Donner said the first one made him feel ‘enough,’ second one ‘surprise,’ third one was ‘unbelievable,’ this one ‘you never know.’
“Then, let’s talk about Mulan. Two days ago, Jackie Chan flew to Taiwan to do the voice job of the leading male character General Lee. He has already done the Cantonese version, this time it’s the Mandarin version. He said his character will marry Mulan in the end of the story.”
Readers Week Weekend
Well, we’re out on the Pacific, headed home. And so is Reader’s Week. I want to thank you all for participating and I’m looking forward to getting back to work. Too much rum, not enough … well, too much rum. If you haven’t entered the box office contest, now is the time. In the meantime, I’ll let loose the Dogs of War.
From: Steve Chien-Wei, Weng
Subject: Why don’t they let Tim Burton make Superman Lives?
“Since Warner Bros. has already made Mars Attack, how much worse could it be this time? They should trust him.”
From: Isaac B.
Subject: Reader’s Week Rant
“It’s a bird, it’s a plane… it’s a piece of crap!”
Am I the only one who’s looking forward to Tim Burton‘s Superman movie with the same amount of excitement and anticipation normally reserved for cancer of the testicles? Didn’t think so.
” Everything I’ve read about the production of this film has convinced me that the people in charge of it used to ride the Special Bus to school. Kevin Smith, who owns a comic book store and writes a comic of his own had his script rejected. Nicolas Cage is picked for the title role, a character he looks nothing like. And if not for Cage’s son, the most infamous costume in comic book history would’ve lost its trademark red underwear, brushed aside all because Mr. Cage was afraid it would make him look like ‘a flamer.’
“And it’s not just this movie that’s pissing me off. It’s all the other comic book adaptions that’ve screwed over the characters and insulted the movie-going audience throughout the years. The problem, as I see it, is that the people making these movies are about as familiar with the books as Demi Moore is with The Scarlet Letter. In all the rush to make the costumes and the special effects and the endless merchandising tie-ins, no one ever stops to read an issue of the very thing they’re supposed to be filming.
“Would it matter if they did? What are you, drunk? Of course, it would! If they had bothered to read ‘Judge Dredd,’ for example, they would’ve known that you never, ever see him without his mask on. They also would’ve known that no self-respecting writer would have him say ‘I’ll be the judge of that.’ In the world of comics, you’d be thrown out of an editor’s office. In the film industry, you’d be given a bonus for thinking up a ‘marketable catch phrase.’
“And if Akiva Goldsman, the ‘screenwriter’ of Batman and Robin, had ever bothered to research his subject matter, he would’ve known that Bane was not a raving idiot, but in fact a highly intelligent villian who, using brilliant tactics, wore down Batman, discovered his true identity and literally broke his back (read ‘Knightfall’ for details). He also would’ve known that the cliché-ridden, God-awful dialogue he wrote went out with Adam West‘s career, and that Batgirl, one of the many unnecessary characters in the film, has been confined to a wheelchair for the last several years, a result of The Joker shooting her in the spine (read Alan Moore‘s brilliant ‘The Killing Joke’ for details.)
“If Warner Bros., as well as the other [studios] out there, are serious about making comic book adaptions, I’d like to offer the following suggestions:
1) Read the comics and find out what the characters are all about. This should be the most obvious thing to do, but if it was, I wouldn’t be writing this, now would I?
2) Stay truthful to the books. Don’t give Green Lantern a red costume, and never make Captain America a German.
3) Always remember that special effects are no match for a good story. People didn’t watch The Crow for the spectacle. They watched it for the substance. And in the end, that is what will keep people in theaters.
“P.S. I just wanted to close by saying that it was out of respect for Tim Robbins that I decided not to mention Howard the Duck.
From: DaveH
Subject: disaster dogs
“My question/rant is this: Why do people continue to pay good money to see disaster flicks (examples: Independence Day, Volcano, and coming soon: Godzilla) despite the fact that they all have the same lame/flat characters, extremely formulaic plots, and nothing more to offer than special effects?
“Obviously, Hollywood will keep producing these films until the well runs dry and people stop going, so they are hardly to blame. And I understand the attraction of movies as an escape from daily life, and these films are simply escapist fare. But I can’t understand how people can simply be so dumb that they see these films multiple times when then are simply so thin. Is it just me, or does this bother anyone else?
“I’m sure in due time that these films will run their course, but looking at the coming attractions, it seems there is no end. If it’s not Armageddon, and Bruce saving the planet, it’s Godzilla stomping into your neighborhood theater. It’s a good bet these two films will easily top the $100 million mark over the summer and go on to be two of the top-grossing films of the year, which will push Hollywood to produce more disaster flix (sic).
“I have had enough of the disaster dogs and their use of special effects to cover-up any semblance of story. I’ll take a Usual Suspects, Good Will Hunting, or Pulp Fiction any day. Put the big explosions of the disaster flix on the small screen and see these films for what they really are: A bunch of people screaming and fleeing in mock terror — the same reaction I hope audiences will someday show new disaster flix such as Godzilla, finally bringing their existence to an end and saving the world from horrible movies.”
More Readers Week
Well, I’m in Cabo San Lucas, and you’re at your computer, stuck with a choice between: last weekend’s best and Spike Lee‘s latest, He Got Game (with Denzel); Liam Neeson, Uma Thurman and Claire Danes (and yes, that guy from Shine, who happens to be quite good in the film) in Les Misérables; and Patrick Swayze in Black Dog. I’m not going to tell you what I think, but don’t think because I’m not here that you can escape the Hot Button Box Office Challenge. If you beat out the competition this week, you can win one of our selected few The Truman Show posters.
Need some help picking? Here’s what the roughcut staff, other than me, thinks about the Top Five for this weekend. Some are more specific than others, but what did you expect?
Jen: I’m thinking the fairly good press (Dave excluded) on The Big Hit will keep it in first place with about $10.5 million. The top debut will be Les Misérables in a close second with $9.8 million, followed by He Got Game in third with $8 million. City of Angels will finally take a plunge with $5 million into fourth, and Titanic will continue to float, closing out the Top Five with just under $5 million (let’s say $4.7).
Susan: 1. The Big Hit — $10 million
2. He Got Game — $9 million
3. City of Angels — $6 million
4. Les Misérables — $5.5 million
5. The Object of My Affection — $4 million
Andy: 1. The Big Hit
2. Black Dog
3. City of Angels
4. Titanic
5. Les Misérables
Graham: 1. He Got Game – $9 million
2. The Big Hit — $8 million
3. City of Angels — $7 million
4. The Object of My Affection — $4 million
5. Black Dog — $3.5 million
Chris: The Big Hit will remain No.1 drawing another $10 million. Les Misérables will make about $8 or $9 million in second place. He Got Game will earn enough to score No. 3. Black Dog will bomb big time, only making enough to place No. 8 or 9.
As you can see, here at rough cut, we pride ourselves on thinking alike. Feel free to follow our advice to win cool prizes, but I’m sure you’ll do significantly better if you follow your instinct. And now, some picks for The Worst Film of 1998, to date:
From Krillian: “The worst movie of 1998 so far is Fallen. I only say this because I haven’t seen Meet the Deedles, Palmetto, Odd Couple II, Hush, My Giant, Desperate Measures, Phantoms, Spice World, Major League: Back to the Minors or any of the other doozies I hear about. For the rules of Fallen to work, it means that Satan is stronger than God, and Satan always will win. If the Almighty is so unmighty, why weren’t there greater levels of mass destruction by the evil ones? What would’ve saved the movie is if a cat had walked by meowing that Rolling Stones tune.”
From Jnorris: “The worst so far is Chairman of the Board. (The worst to actually reach theaters, anyway). Also a sidenote — am I the only person on the planet that thinks Gwyneth Paltrow is the most overrated actress in Hollywood???????????”
From Geof: “The worst film of 1998 is Half Baked. I can’t believe I even walked by the theater that showed it. The only funny scene in the film was shown in the preview and edited out of the movie. It comes in second on my all-time-worst list, right behind The Jerky Boys. UGH!”
From Steve Chien-Wei, Weng: “Of course it’s Burn, Hollywood, Burn, what else?”
From Gary Salem: “US Marshals.”
From Beanpodd: “US Marshals.”
Dave Note: (Gary and The Bean are obviously from the Tommy Lee Jones School of Dialogue.)
From Randy R: “Hush. One of the very worst films of the last several years.”
