Wall Street should leave the filmmaking to Pixar
I don’t know much about Wall Street, but it’s good to know Wall Street knows even less about Hollywood. Richard Greenfield of Pali Research says he was “dead wrong” when it came to predicting the box office prospects of Disney-Pixar’s hugely successfully Up. Greenfield’s comments from the NY Times: The recent success of Pixar’s ‘Up’ (well ahead of our forecasts) has renewed investor confidence in Disney’s creative capabilities. The comment about “Disney’s creative capabilities” proves he still doesn’t get it. But in this brave new world of movie making, who really knows the whole equation anyway. Well, other than Pixar. You think people would have stopped second-guessing Pixar when their team turned a story about a rat into the studio’s third highest-grossing film worldwide. I’m more concerned about Toy Story 3 than I ever was about Up. It’s a...
Read MoreKatherine Heigl still thinks she’s a movie star
There are good divas (Beyoncé). There are bad divas (Heidi). There are even divas-in-waiting (Miley). And then there’s Katherine Heigl. The actress who once co-starred in the movie that made Seth Rogen famous and also took her name out of Emmy consideration last year because she’s too good for TV of her character’s weak story is still under the delusion that she is the queen f’ing bee of Hollywood. This time Heigl, who seems destined to commit career suicide, was dropped as a potential player in New Line and director Garry Marshall’s A-list ensemble rom-com Valentine’s Day because she demanded too much money. The NY Post’s Page Six had this scoop An insider told Page Six, “Producers at New Line originally had Katherine on their casting list. They wanted her for the project, but during the talks, she came...
Read MoreThe (Streaming) Girlfriend Experience
I’ve been meaning to write about Steven Soderbergh’s latest film, The Girlfriend Experience, for days now after watching the indie on Amazon.com. That’s right, Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh’s latest film hasn’t been released in theaters, but it’s already streaming online for a small rental fee. Okay, a big rental fee. More than the price of a movie ticket in your average market. When it comes right down to it, not many people are going to pay $9.99 for a three-day movie rental. But what irks me most about watching Soderbergh’s tale of a high-priced call girl trying to make a living in the middle of the current economic meltdown isn’t just its equally high-priced delivery. It’s the film’s low-end storytelling. The Girlfriend Experience just isn’t that good. At best it’s a heavy-handed metaphor for losing your home on...
Read MoreAnother Green Lantern Rumor. Shawn Roberts?
Warner Bros. and Martin Campbell better decide on a Hal Jordan soon because this guessing game isn’t fun anymore. Now Latino Review is reporting that relative unknown Shawn Roberts is up for the lead in The Green Lantern. Sure, he’d be a better Hal Jordon/Green Lantern than Bradley Cooper, the name HitFix decided to throw out there on Wednesday. But it looks like he’d fit the mold, not break it. Doesn’t seem like the out of the box casting that we’ve come to expect from our superhero movies. I’m still in the Brian Austin Green camp, myself. (Unless, of course, Star Trek‘s Chris Pine manages to fit another blockbuster franchise in his schedule). What do you...
Read MoreHeath Ledger in Doctor Parnassus
Austrian website DVD-forum.at nabbed four stills from Terry Gilliam’s upcoming feature The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, a.k.a. Heath Ledger’s last film. The film will premiere at Cannes, but the production company behind Parnassus has been seeking a distribution deal ahead of the French fest. You’d think major buyers would be fighting over the property, but like any Gilliam film, it looks like it’s going to be difficult to market. Insiders at an industry screening in Hollywood last week told EW: All of the major independent buyers in town packed Hollywood’s DGA theater for the screening, and while most left feeling a bit befuddled (as one often does coming out of a Gilliam feature) the consensus was that the movie is better than expected. Not the glowing review that anyone involved was looking for, I’m sure. EW also reports that...
Read MoreMichael Douglas, Oliver Stone, and Shia LaBeouf (?!) to sequelize Wall Street
During the early coverage of the current economic crisis, the name Gorden Gekko was repeated so many times you’d think people would be clamoring to purchase (probably on a credit card) the Wall Street DVD. But why watch the original when you can see a sequel? Michael Douglas, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of the avaricious arbitrageur, and director Oliver Stone, who wasn’t even nominated, are on board for the return of the Gekko. And word is Shia LaBeouf is in negotiations to join the cast. Greed, for the lack of a better word, is good, especially when you can cash in on a sequel about the 24th most villainous character in motion picture history. Seems like a can’t lose investment for Fox and everyone else involved. All I ask is that you don’t call it Wall...
Read MoreGet Email Updates
