Movie City News Archive for December, 2018

The Gurus o’ Gold On Key Categories

By The Guru Keeper - Friday, December 21st, 2018

The Gurus Try On Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay

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The Gurus o’ Gold On Key Categories

By The Gurus of Gold - Friday, December 21st, 2018

The Gurus let go of multiple outliers and one-vote-wonders for best picture this go-round.

While relatively small fields, there’s movement in the acting categories, including sentiment for Bohemian Rhapsody that elevates Rami Malek. Actresses off the Guru radar include Felicity Jones, Natalie Portman and Saoirse Ronan.

As with the Academy, the Guru screenplay predictions hold surprises, including BlacKkKlansman leading adapted predictions and Roma sandwiched by leader The Favourite and a maybe not-so-surprising showing for First Reformed, for yet-to-be-nominated writer-director Paul Schrader. The Gurus also shine light on recently-prized Ethan Hawke.

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London’s New Leicester Square Odeon Movie Ducats Demand Over $50

By MCN Editor - Friday, December 21st, 2018

London’s New Leicester Square Odeon Movie Ducats Demand Over $50

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Harvey Trial

By MCN Editor - Friday, December 21st, 2018

Harvey Weinstein to stand trial for sex offences in 2019 https://t.co/ynz0BN3nDV pic.twitter.com/Dgb38oBNbW — Screen International (@Screendaily) December 21, 2018

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Donald Moffat

By MCN Editor - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

RIP, the talented Mr. Moffat. https://t.co/XwgzWypMPE — Warner Archive (@WarnerArchive) December 20, 2018

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Shonda Rhimes

By MCN Editor - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

Why do reporters always say writers were "lured"? Like we're children following a trail of candy. I created a $2B+ revenue stream for a major Corp with my imagination. I do not follow trails of candy. I am the candy. https://t.co/3qGZKI4bhf — shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) December 20, 2018

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“I experience racism every day”: Widows’ Steve McQueen

By MCN Editor - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

“I experience racism every day”: Widows‘ Steve McQueen

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Every shot in the film is framed as perfectly as a photograph. The images and faces of rural Poland have echoes of Roman Vishniac’s work, and the smoky, sexy shots of Paris recall those of Robert Doisneau

By Ray Pride - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

“Every shot in Cold War is framed as perfectly as a photograph. The images and faces of rural Poland have echoes of Roman Vishniac’s work, and the smoky, sexy shots of Paris recall those of Robert Doisneau.”

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Eliza Dushku: I worked at CBS. I didn’t want to be sexually harassed. I was fired

By MCN Editor - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

“For weeks, Michael Weatherly was recorded making sexual comments, and was recorded mimicking penis jousting with a male costar — this directly on the heels of the ‘threesome’ proposal — and another time referring to me repeatedly as ‘legs.’ He regularly commented on my ‘ravishing’ beauty, following up with audible groans, oohing and aahing. As…

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Harvey Weinstein Motion to Dismiss Assault Case Rejected by Judge

By MCN Editor - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

Harvey Weinstein Motion to Dismiss Assault Case Rejected by Judge

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The state of Madison, Wisconsin Filmgoing in 2018

By Ray Pride - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

The State of Madison, Wisconsin Filmgoing in 2018

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What Most Men Get Wrong When Writing Teenage Girls

By MCN Editor - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

“What Most Men Get Wrong When Writing Teenage Girls”

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“Why I’ve Had Trouble Buying Hollywood’s Version Of Girl Power” By Alison Willmore

By MCN Editor - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

“Why I’ve Had Trouble Buying Hollywood’s Version Of Girl Power” By Alison Willmore

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“HI, IT’S ME, THE GIRLFRIEND OF A MARVEL SUPERHERO TRYING TO RETURN THIS USED CAR”

By MCN Editor - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

“HI, IT’S ME, THE GIRLFRIEND OF A MARVEL SUPERHERO TRYING TO RETURN THIS USED CAR”

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Filmmaker Subscription

By MCN Editor - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

Filmmaker’s annual holiday sale — through the holidays we’ll discount our print subscriptions fo $10 and digital to only $6. Please support us by subscribing! https://t.co/lG4YGZqU9S — Scott Macaulay (@FilmmakerMag) December 20, 2018

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Academy’s 15-Documentary Feature Shortlist To Screen In 13 Cities

By MCN Editor - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

ACADEMY PRESENTS NEW THEATRICAL SCREENING PROGRAM: “OSCARS® SPOTLIGHT: DOCUMENTARY FEATURE SHORTLIST” LOS ANGELES, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, led by its Future of Film Committee, will present “Oscars® Spotlight: Documentary Feature Shortlist,” a new program showcasing the 15 shortlisted documentary feature films in contention for the 91st Oscars.  The films will screen…

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Academy Named Christine Simmons CEO

By MCN Editor - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

ACADEMY NAMES CHRISTINE SIMMONS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER LA Sparks President and COO to come on board January 2019     LOS ANGELES, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has named Christine Simmons to the position of Chief Operating Officer, it was announced today by Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. Simmons, president and…

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The DVD Wrapup & Gift Guide III: Venom 4K, The Super, Snowflake, Marie Curie, Gamechangers, Who We Are Now, 40 Guns, De Palma-De Niro,, Starman and more

By Gary Dretzka - Thursday, December 20th, 2018

For anyone over, say, 15, to fully appreciate Ruben Fleischer’s Venom, it’s necessary to possess a working knowledge of Eddie Brock/Venom’s origin story and those of several other key characters. If not, it’s just another vehicle to show off cool CGI effects,

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Ansari – Wayans

By MCN Editor - Wednesday, December 19th, 2018

This @nytimes headline is hugely unfair to @azizansari. I’m all for the pitchforks for CK and others. But we should speak up when a hugely tangential side issue is put up alongside more serious offenses. pic.twitter.com/29uj6ClZeS — ʙ ɪ ʟ ʟ ᴡ ʏ ᴍ ᴀ ɴ (@hitsville) December 20, 2018 'WE NEED TO PROTECT OUR…

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RomCom Miriam Bale

By MCN Editor - Wednesday, December 19th, 2018

Romcoms are about cities & money. — Miriam Bale (@mimbale) December 20, 2018

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“I don’t think it’s cruel to say this, because John himself would undoubtedly have turned it into a gleeful anecdote: When he had the stroke that killed him, he was at a local dinner theater. Hell of a review.”

“I am inclined to aver that every activity needs its critics, from narcissists bloviating in Washington to exhibitors of knee holes in their blue jeans by way of following a fad. So, too, tennis players and others wearing their caps backward. There is, to be sure, only fairly innocuous folly in puncturing pants or reversing caps, but for political or artistic or religious twisting of thought or harboring holes in the head there is rather less excuse. I have always inveighed against the bleary journalism practiced by newspaper reviewers, as opposed to the real criticism performed by, well, critics.”

“I often felt a twinge of grief at the idea that John Simon had devoted his life to a method of work that could only make him increasingly unhappy. Here was a man, elegant, articulate, and vastly knowledgeable, fluent in at least half a dozen languages, whose gifts of mind gave nothing back to the arts he wrote about except a few unkind remarks that made fun of someone’s performance, ethnicity, physical attributes, or, with a pun, on his target’s name. (“If this is Norman Wisdom, I’ll take Saxon folly.”) Other theatre critics keep such darts in their rucksacks for occasional use; John lived by them.”

“One person’s critic is another person’s crackpot. That they are not united in their opinions is ascribable to the Latin saying: quot homines, tot sententiae. I myself prefer being considered a creep, but that is what you get for having what Vladimir Nabokov called ‘Strong Opinions.’ It is odd that in a country so wallowing in negativity, starting with mass shootings and climaxing with Trump, such an unimportant matter as theater criticism should generate so much hostility. The only target patently more important is lead in the drinking water.”

Review: Little Women (no spoilers)

The DVD Wrapup: Cold War, Betty Blue, Official Secrets, Demons, Olivia, American Dreamer, Land of Yik Yak

20 Weeks To Oscar: Cinema, Trump, and Oscar

E. Scott Weinberg On Youthful Fangoria Encounters

Rome Bookstore Closes

With a Grauniad-Alleged $300 Million Budget, Could The Yet-Unseen But Surely Weird Cats Pass A Billion Dollars at The Box Office?

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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