Earlier this year the Abu Dhabi Media Summit took place with some key Hollywood figures talking about issues facing the industry.
Firstly, director James Cameron spoke with News Corp’s European CEO James Murdoch about a variety of topics affecting the film business including:
The future of 3D
Technology and risk taking
The nature of business in Hollywood
Dealing with crisis
Exploration and the environment
The future of entertainment
Breaking down the barriers of reality and film
The conversation runs for 41 minutes and can be seen here:
The second panel was called ‘Hollywood Power Shifts’ and dealt with the wider issues facing the entertainment business.
Hosted by Dan Sabbagh of The Guardian, the guests included: Mohammed Al Mubarak (Chairman, Imagenation Abu Dhabi); Skip Brittenham (Senior Partner and Founder, Ziffren, Brittenham LLP); Ari Emanuel (Co-CEO WME Entertainment); Jim Gianopulos (Co-chairman & CEO, Fox Filmed Entertainment) and Walter Parkes (Former DreamWorks president and currently co-head of Parkes-MacDonald Productions).
The discussion covers:
The relationship between the consumers and content
Piracy and the role of Internet Service Providers
How social media affects studio marketing
Sequels and remakes
The possible power shift from West to East
How text messaging is helping movies with subtitles
How Muslim culture is represented in Hollywood movies
The changing nature of content (movies, TV and the web)
Brands and movies
Skip to 6.05 to get to the discussion:
There is was also an interesting talk called ‘Content and the Cloud’ by Charlie Boswell (Director of Digital Media and Entertainment at AMD) and Jules Urbach (Founder and CEO, OTOY).
They discuss how how filmmakers and game companies can benefit from using cloud technology to make and deliver content.
Although it may seem a little technical, the implications of what they say could be profound for movie studios and games companies.
They discuss how:
Production houses can shift heavy duty work to the cloud (e.g. Avatar and The Social Network)
How the cloud could revolutionise how movie studios deliver content
The possible end of optical discs (DVD and Blu-ray) and the rise of streaming via the cloud
Bandwidth issues
The relationship between games and movies
Given the direction Apple are moving in with iCloud, this is an area worth watching closely.
Source Code (Optimum Home Entertainment): Sci-fi thriller about a US soldier US soldier (Jake Gyllenhaal) who must defuse a bomb on a Chicago bound train, only this proves more difficult than expected. Directed by Duncan Jones, it co-stars Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright, and nicely channels Hitchcock and The Twilight Zone to create a satisfying piece of entertainment. [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK] [Read our review here]
Countdown to Zero (Dogwoof): Lucy Walkerās campaigning documentary is an absorbing warning about the dangers still posed by nuclear weapons, even though its optimism blurs the wider issues. That said it features an impressive line-up of interviewees (Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf, Jimmy Carter and Joseph Cirincione) and paints a sobering portrait of a persistent, existential menace. [Buy it on DVD from Amazon UK] [Read our review here]
ALSO OUT
AC/DC: Let There Be Rock (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] Curse of the Golden Flower (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Earth and Space (Go Entertain) [Blu-ray / Normal] Legendary Warriors Collection (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] Spy Kids (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal] Spy Kids 2 – The Island of Lost Dreams (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal] Spy Kids 3 – Game Over (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal] Spy Kids Trilogy (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Box Set] The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray with DVD – Double Play]
They have put seminars online with some key people from the industry,Ā which cover: audience research, marketing (business-to-business, traditional, viral) and public relations.
In an era where the digital revolution is affecting both the production and distribution of films, these videos contain some incredibly useful information and advice.
They have disabled embedding, but you can click through the following links to view them.
After establishing himself as a director with vintage Ealing comedies in the late 1940s, he returned to America where he made the classic Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.
As the Watergate scandal heated up with saturation television coverage, Mackendrick noticed that the principles of narrative filmmaking could be applied to real-life television coverage.
For those not familair with Watergate, it began with a seemingly minor burglary at the Democratic campaign headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in 1972, and as Washington Post reporters probed the story, they gradually uncovered widespread criminal behaviour and evidence of a cover-up within the Nixon administration.
Over the course of that year leading to his resignation, various people were called to testify to the committee, which were broadcast live on TV.
One exchange that caught Mackendrick’s attention was the between Senator Howard Baker and Sally Harmony, who secretary to G. Gordon Liddy, one of the key Nixon operatives later convicted of conspiracy, burglary and wiretapping.
You can watch the footage here:
Mackendrick was struck by the inherent drama of the conversation and the visual language of what unfolded on his television set.
He even wrote a detailed pamphlet which explored how the principles of a dramatic film apply to documentaries.
It makes for fascinating reading, but this particular quote stands out:
“Itās my guess that a movie director, given dailies of exactly the same footage, could hardly have done a better job of editing even if given time to analyse the material. The rapidly intercut closeups may be silent, but their subtext is obvious and eloquent. Seeing these live broadcasts from Washington, I remember being transfixed by what was essentially news reportage.”
The interesting thing is that you can apply Mackendrick’s analysis to any non-fiction footage, be it reality television, YouTube videos or serious current affairs.
The most seismic news event of the past decade was 9/11, a terrorist attack which many people at the time remarked was ‘like a movie’.
On NBC’s live coverage, a terrified witness on the phone says these very words at 04.21:
Presumably part of the terrorist plan was to use the Western media against itself, as they knew these images would be carried around the world.
The catch 22 for media is that they had to broadcast them as it was a major news story, but they also knew that the terror was being fed into millions of living rooms across the world.
Although the live coverage was edited in real-time, the way in which the images came together for audiences was like a dreadful disaster movie unfolding live on television. (For more on 9/11 and the movies click here)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox): Reboot of the Apes franchise set in present day San Francisco as a scientist (James Franco) trying to cure Alzheimer’s inadvertently triggers a new breed of ape which gradually rebel against their human masters. Directed by Rupert Wyatt, it co-stars Frieda Pinto, John Lithgow and Brian Cox. [Nationwide / 12A] [Read our full review]
The Smurfs (Sony Pictures): Film adaptation of the comic book series created by Peyo which mixes live action and animation. The story involves the evil wizard Gargamel chasing the Smurfs out of their village, theor subsequent trip to New York and their journey back. Directed by Raja Gosnell, it stars Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Winters, Hank Azaria, Jayma Mays and SofĆa Vergara. [Nationwide / U]
The Devil’s Double (Icon): Drama about Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper), an Iraqi forced to act as a body double for the sadistic Uday Hussein (also played by Cooper) during Saddam Hussein’s rule. Directed by Lee Tamahori, it co-stars Philip Quast and Ludivine Sagnier. [Nationwide / 18]
ALSO OUT
The Interrupters (Dogwoof): Documentary about a non-violence project in Chicago which focuses on three workers who try to diffuse potentially violent situations with their experience and knowledge of local areas. Directed by Steve James (who made the masterful Hoop Dreams), it is an incredibly timely film in light of the recent UK riots, rich with human drama and emotion. [Key cities / 15] [Read our full review]
Project Nim (Icon): Documentary about a chimpanzee named Nim who was raised like a human in the 1970s as part of a scientific experiment into language. Directed by James Marsh, it is the follow up from the team that brought us Man on Wire (2008). [Key cities / 12A] [Read our full review here]
The Salt of Life (Artificial Eye): After the arthouse success of his charming Mid-August Lunch (2008), writer-director and actor Gianni Gregorio returns with another film about family relationships. This time it explores a bored house husband and his rediscovery of romantic relationships. [Key cities / 12A]
Beautiful Lies (Trinity Filmed Entertainment): French comedic riff on Jane Austen’s Emma with Audrey Tautou in the central matchmaker role. Directed by Pierre Salvadori, it co-stars Natalie Baye and Sami Bouajila. [Key cities]
The Taqwacores (Network Releasing): Film adaptation of the 2003 novel by Michael Muhammad Knight, which imagines a fictitious Islamic rock scene through characters living in Buffalo. Directed by Eyad Zahra, it stars Bobby Naderi, Dominic Rains and Noureen Dewulf. [Key cities / 15]
A warehouse vital to the distribution of independent music and films has been destroyed by fire in the recent UK riots.
On Monday night, the Sony DADC in Enfield was burnt to the ground leaving many prominent distribution labels badly affected.
The impact for many key independent film distributors has been devastating, with many losing their DVD and Blu-ray stock.
An official statement from Nick Hartley, chief operating officer of PIAS Entertainment Group, was published by Billboard:
“Sony DADC have identified a temporary distribution partner [yet-to-be-announced] and it is envisaged that they will be in a position to pick, pack and ship orders in the course of next week.Ā Our key focus at the moment is to get things re-manufactured and we are working with our labels on the best way of doing that is — identifying which lines are turning over the fastest and getting them to start re-manufacturing again.Ā At the same time we looking in our Brussels warehouse and [speaking to] other labels in Europe, if they don’t go through us, to see what stock there is to be able to ship back from Europe into the U.K. in order to keep supplies going.”
UK shops typically carry a reasonable amount of stock but Hartley highlighted the more pressing problem:
“Our biggest problem is going to be the depth of catalog. Remanufacturing and getting stock in [outlets] next week of the top several lines is do-able, but we had over 8,000 lines at Sony DADC. [As for] whether they will all ever be re-manufactured, there’s obvious issues there and I think some of them will lose out in that process.”
Companies directly impacted by the fire include the BFI (who re-release many classics), Artificial Eye (an established major arthouse label) and Dogwoof (a new and pioneering UK indie releasing many acclaimed documentaries).
The warehouse was engulfed in flames live on the BBC News channel.
Although DVD sales are declining they still represent a major revenue source for the industry as a whole and are vital for smaller companies operating on slimmer profit margins.
However, despite the short term problems, the contingency plans and insurance should prevent disaster.
The Guardian quote Anna Godas, the CEO of Dogwoof:
“DVD is still a strong revenue stream for us ā we have lost around 50,000 DVDs, worth around Ā£300,000”. She says that Dogwoof’s pipeline of new product is unlikely to be affected but steady sellers ā such as The Age of Stupid, Restrepo and Food Inc ā will be hit hard. Nevertheless, Godas is confident that any losses will be covered by Sony’s insurance. “We’ve been told by them they will be looking after it,” she said.
Steve Lewis, the home entertainment manager of Artificial Eye, also said:
“All our stock was there – more than 300 titles in our catalogue,” said Steve Lewis, Home entertainment manager at Artificial Eye, which has critical hits like Winter’s Bone, Of Gods and Men and Krzysztof KieÅlowski’s Three Colours trilogy in its back catalogue. “But we’ve been impressed by the speed at which Sony have put their contingency plans into action. Disruption should be kept to a minimum. Our stock is insured.”
BBC News reported earlier today that 900 people were arrested over the recent looting and riots, including:
…two boys of 17 and a man of 18 held over an arson attack which destroyed a Sony warehouse in Enfield, north London, on Monday.
More positive developments since the fire have included various bloggers and people using social media to help.
If you want to purchase films you notice on their sites remember that many are available on video on demand sites such as iTunes UK, Lovefilm,Ā Film 4 on Demand, Curzon on Demand.
You can find out more and donate money via theirĀ website,Ā emailĀ [email protected]Ā and follow them on Twitter accountĀ @_label_love_Ā has been created, whilst users can also use the hashtagĀ #labellove.
If you have any other links to any related campaigns or ideas about spreading the word about helping the companies affected just get in touch.
This week sees the UK release of The Interrupters, a documentaryĀ which explores an anti-violence program in Chicago based on the theories of Gary Slutkin.
Directed by Steve James, who made the classic 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams, the film follows the work of CeaseFire, an initiative which has created and implemented the concept of ‘The Violence Interrupter’.
This sees three people – Ameena Matthews, Cobe Williams and Eddie Bocanegra – with experience of crime, work on the street to mediate conflicts which could result in violent crime.
Essentially, it’s a bit like Minority Report without all the high-tech stuff.
The CeaseFire project was founded in 1995 by Dr. Slutkin, who developed the theory that violence is like an infectious disease that can be prevented by changing behaviour.
Last year he gave this talk explaining his basic ideas:
The UK release of The Interrupters is incredibly timely, with riots and looting breaking out in London and other major cities in the same week it opens in UK cinemas.
I would strongly recommend the film, as it is easily one of the best films of the year and essential viewing in a week where violence and urban decay have dominated UK headlines.
Over the last few days London has been ravaged by severe riots which have unleashed carnage on the UK’s capital city.
I write this as someone from the South East who has worked in and around the city for years and I still regularly commute there for work.
It is a city where I’ve seen films since I was a young boy, worked with friends and colleagues in radio and I was in North London on Saturday night when I first got an inkling that something was wrong.
In time there will be consequences for what has happened as the public, politicians and media debate the causes of what has gone on.
There is a lot of media available on the web, both social and traditional, so I thought I’d include some here in order to try and make sense of what’s gone on and to function as a running archive for what is still a developing story.
There is this Google Map which shows the scale of violent incidents across London and the UK on August 8th:
This AP report shows how the riots first kicked off in Tottenham on Saturday:
The Boston Globe have posted a series of images from the carnage of Saturday night.
This Flickr group from The Guardian has pooled hundreds of photos shot over the last few days:
This video of an injured man being mugged in Queens Road, Barking surfaced on Facebook and quickly went viral:
This video of a Hackney woman raging against the rioters was filmed and uploaded to TwitVid, and so far her impromptu speech has been viewed over 1.4 million times:
The life of a chimpanzee raised like a human makes for a rich documentary, which is assembled with considerable skill and intelligence.
After the success of their previous film Man On Wire (2008), director James Marsh and producer Simon Chinn came across another story that has its roots in New York of the 1970s.
In November 1973, a professor at Columbia University began an experiment to raise a chimpanzee like a human being in order to explore how this would affect the his communication skills with humans.
The chimp was named Nim Chimpsky after Noam Chomsky, the linguist whose thesis stated that language is hard-wired to humans only, and the experiment became a practical exploration of communication.
If Man on Wire played like an unlikely heist movie, this film is more like Frankenstein or a genre film where scientific breakthroughs have unintended consequences.
But as it progresses, the film is more than just about a curious scientific exercise as it peels away the different layers of the story to become something profound and unsettling about the relationship between humans and animals.
The opening section explores the behavioural psychologist who supervised the experiment, Professor Herbert Terrace, and his various assistants during the 1970s who treated Nim like a human child – a period which saw him introduced to human breast milk, alcohol and marijuana.
This makes for some eye-opening comedy in places, which is brilliantly augmented with interviews, period photographs and various other media from the time.
Part of the virtues of choosing a scientific project as the subject of a documentary is that the original observational materials can be incorporated into the film, as well as contemporary TV reports and magazine covers.
But the film really hits another plateau when we follow what happened to Nim when he left the supervision of Professor Terrace and his various surrogate mothers.
The story then becomes a darker tale which gradually holds up a mirror to the humans involved with Nimās life.
Without going in to too much detail, it says a lot that the person who emerges with the most credit is Bob Ingersoll, a pot-smoking Grateful Dead fan who seemed to have Nimās best interests at heart.
The second half of the film has some genuinely surprising twists and if you arenāt familiar with the real-life events I would recommend going in cold.
Part of what makes the film so effective, is the overall journey of Nimās extraordinary life, which is presented with a meticulous care that is rare, even for a documentary.
Whilst the scientists depicted in Project Nim held up a mirror to a chimpanzee, the film also holds up a similar mirror to the audience about their relationship with animals and themselves.
On one level the film powerfully depicts the growing pains of a chimpanzee, but as this journey grows messy and painful, it is hard not to see the human parallels ā we share 98.7% of our DNA but also a range of emotions and experiences as we age.
Marsh develops this material in such a way that it never feels simplistic or sentimental and along with his editor Jinx Godfrey have managed to whittle the story down to something that is both specific and universal.
Whilst the story of Nim is about an experiment from another era, the film of Nim is a vivid document of the humans who conducted it.
In a week which sees the UK release of an expensive reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise, it is ironic that the chimpanzee film made for a fraction of the budget should have more drama and surprise.
But then this year has been a very strong one for documentaries with films like Senna, The Interrupters and now Project Nim prove that real stories told well can provide the drama that expensively produced fiction simply cannot match.
Project Nim is out at selected UK cinemas from Friday 12th August
Stand By Me (Sony Pictures Home Ent.): Rob Reiner’s marvellous adaptation of Stephen King’s short story The Body was one of the sleeper hits of 1986. When a writer (Richard Dreyfus) remembers his childhood in a small Oregon town, we flashback to a group of friends – Gordie (Wil Wheaton), Chris (River Phoenix), Teddy (Corey Feldman), and Vern (Jerry O’Connell) – who search for a missing teenager’s body. An unusual film for the 1980s, it mixes comedy and drama to excellent effect. [Buy it onĀ Blu-rayĀ orĀ DVD from Amazon UK]
Whisky Galore (Optimum Home Entertainment): One of the most famous Ealing comedies is this classic 1949 film about a ship carrying 50,000 cases of whisky which runs aground on a Scottish island. The first film by director Alexander Mackendrick, who went on to make The Ladykillers and The Man In The White Suit, this has been fully digitally restored and remastered. [Buy it onĀ Blu-rayĀ orĀ DVDĀ from Amazon UK]
ALSO OUT
Chocolat (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal] IMAX: Deep Sea (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition] IMAX: Legends of Flight (BPDP) [Blu-ray / with 3D Version] Sucker Punch (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Lost Bladesman (Icon Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Your Highness: Extended Edition (Entertainment One) [Blu-ray / Normal]
How much of Steven Spielberg’s early work is referenced in Super 8?
If you’ve seen the film you’ll know that writer-director J.J. Abrams draws deeply from the era of Spielbergās early blockbusters, with the famous director even coming on board as co-creator and producer.
But in terms of specifics, here are a list of Spielberg films that seem to be particular touchstones for Super 8.
Spielberg’s mainstream breakthrough was about a shark terrorising a small town and featured a law enforcement officer (Roy Scheider) struggling to maintain order.
In Super 8 there is also a small town deputy (Kyle Chandler) and although he isn’t the main character, he plays a similar role in uncovering the mysterious goings on in the town.
Perhaps the most influential film on Super 8 is Spielberg’s second blockbuster, which explores what happens to two everyday families who discover that the US military are covering up the existence of UFOs.
The overall plot of Super 8 also involves two families, a military cover-up, a key scene involving a truck by a rail road, and characters empathising with strange forces.
In particular, the presence of the US military plays a big part in each film.
Arguably Spielberg’s most famous film, the coming-of-age tale about a young boy (Henry Thomas) who befriends an alien has close parallels with Super 8.
In J.J. Abrams film, the protagonist is also a young boy (Joel Courtney) from a single parent family who grows up in a small town.
Like E.T. the forces of law and order are frequently sinister and are contrasted to other beings in the film.
It bore the hallmarks of his early career: threats to a suburban family; fantastical forces and a child at the centre of the drama.
Super 8 certainly ventures into this territory, but for particular references look out for a blonde girl being central to the action and something under the ground being important to the film.
This adventure-comedy was directed by Richard Donner but was another example of Spielberg producing.
The screenplay was adapted from his own story by Chris Columbus (one of his many one proteges in this period) and the basic premise revolves around a group of kids who go on an adventure.
Super 8 has obvious parallels, with a group of young filmmaker friends trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious train crash that they have unwittingly captured on film.
Did you notice any other Spielberg references in Super 8?
Super 8 (Paramount): A homage to the early films of Steven Spielberg, this small-town tale sees a group of kids discover mysterious things whilst making a short film on their Super 8 camera. Directed by JJ Abrams, it stars
Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler. [Nationwide / 12A] [Read our full review here]
Mr. Popper’s Penguins (20th Century Fox): The life of a businessman (Jim Carrey) starts to change after he inherits six penguins, which forces him to transform his apartment into a winter wonderland. Directed by Mark Waters, it co-stars Carla Guginno and Angela Lansbury. [Nationwide / PG]
Sarah’s Key (Optimum Releasing): A woman (Kristin Scott Thomas) becomes obsessed with tracking down a young woman from the past – for reasons even she can’t quite articulate – in this drama about the past affecting the present. Directed by Paul Popplewell, it co-stars Giles Paquet-Brenner and Melusine Mayance. [Key cities / 12A]
ALSO OUT
The Tree (Artificial Eye): Drama about a woman (Charlotte Gainsbourg) who has to cope with raising her family in the Australian countryside after a momentous event. Directed by Julie Bertucelli. [Key Cities / 12A]
Move is a short film by Rick Mereki that executes a simple idea brilliantly.
Along with his DOP and producer Tim White, he filmed Andrew Lees in various locations across the world for three shorts: Move, Eat and Learn.
Move is my favourite, as it uses the power of editing and framing to depict global travel in just 1 minute.
As Rick says on his Vimeo page:
3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage… all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ….into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films = a trip of a lifetime.
Whilst pushing boundaries in visual effects, the latest instalment of the Planet of the Apes franchise is less successful at old fashioned elements like story and character.
After an unwise big-budget remake from Tim Burton in 2001, 20th Century Fox have decided to revive the series by going back to the present day and exploring the early origins of intelligent apes.
The story begins when a San Francisco scientist (James Franco) develops a possible cure for Alzheimerās Disease and over a period of several years notices the remarkable effects of his new drug on a chimpanzee named Caesar (Andy Serkis), who gradually begins to rebel against his human masters.
Essentially a prequel very loosely based on the original films, the main aim here was to create a summer blockbuster in which the main attraction is not a movie star or character but the visual effects.
EmployingĀ Weta Digital, the main effects company behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Avatar, the film does indeed break ground in the field of performance capture technology.
Having Andy Serkis play the lead ape via performance capture technology certainly gives his character a sense of believability and depth, that a purely digital version created from scratch would not.
Not only do the faces of the apes feel more authentic but their movement and interplay with live action characters is about as impressive as the current technology will allow.
The basic storyline of the apes rising also builds on the powerful metaphor that has made the franchise endure over several decades as a kind of riff on Frankenstein and the arrogance of mankind.
However, the film also cuts corners in vital areas, with the human drama weakened by undercooked writing and an overreliance on digital effects.
The main actors are woefully underwritten and simply going through the motions: Franco walks through the film in a haze (much like he did whilst presenting the Oscars), Frieda Pinto as his partner is merely a cipher, John Lithgow is only intermittently engaging as Francoās father and David Oyelowo is given an utterly ridiculous role as the token corporate villain in a suit.
Also popping up in curiously underdeveloped roles as ape-keepers are Brian Cox (who is shamefully wasted) and Tom Felton, who appears like heās on a sabbatical from the Harry Potter franchise.
This all makes the interaction between the two species less effective because it is hard to care about apes rising when the humans are such one-note dullards.
The visual scope is also limited by director Rupert Wyatt using a lot of interior locations: houses, labs and cages dominate much of the film and even when it ventures outside for the big finale, one of the most iconic locations in America is clearly an alternative bridge augmented by green screen effects.
As a studio Fox has become very fond of shooting major releases on an efficient budget in places such as Canada, like The A-Team (2010), or Australasia, such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).
This obviously pleases the studio accountants but reduces the scale and overall visual feel of films on the big screen and Rise of the Planet of the Apes does not benefit from this penny-pinching approach.
Given that the main selling point is the visual effects, the film also suffers from an intriguing paradox ā in that as they get more detailed and realistic, they become more noticeable to the human eye.
The most impressive aspect are the close up shots of Caesarās basic interaction with human beings, but when they try to do flashy āone takeā shots of him swinging around the house or climbing trees, the realism is diminished.
One of the supposed advances in this film is that advanced visual creations are seen in real life locations, but that is actually part of the problem.
Watching this on an unforgiving big screen, one can see the digital joins in certain scenes which make the technically āinferiorā old school approach of ape make-up ā as used in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) or the 1968 and 2001 versions of The Planet of the Apes – seem more believable.
But whilst the film is a decidedly mixed bag, there may be a strong appetite for a big release that isnāt an animated feature or a film based on a comic book character.
Fox have been keeping this film under wraps until the last week, which they claim was a result of working the visual effects up to the last possible minute.
I suspect it was part of a more carefully planned marketing strategy, as the selling point of this film is that the creepy Frankenstein narrative gives it a different tone to the good versus evil stories that have littered the multiplexes this summer.
This film could mark the resurgence of a franchise whose apocalyptic atmosphere may chime in with current fears of an economic collapse, but it also shows the limits of even the most advanced visual effects, if traditional elements are found wanting.
Aside from having one too many theās in the title, the film is almost a metaphor for itself: advanced technology (CGI) is used to create super apes (on screen) but only ends up showing how shallow humans are.
Previous montages have explored single directors such asĀ Michel Gondry, David Fincher, Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola, but this one devoted to Pixar is a wonderful distillation of what has been an amazing run of movies since 1995.
It includes clips from the Toy Story trilogy (1995-2010), A Bug’s Life (1998), Monsters Inc (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008) and Up (2009).
The brainchild of epidemiologist Gary Slutkin, the interrupter concept treats urban violence like an infectious disease ā if you go after the most infected, then you can stop the infection at its source.
Shot over the course of a year in Chicago, it focuses on three interrupters: Ameena Matthews, Cobe Williams and Eddie Bocanegra, who all have lives shaped by past violence on the streets.
But the fascination of the film lies is the way it combines the history of the interrupters with their practical application of Slutkinās theory.
CeaseFire utilises whatever nonviolent means possible to prevent violence: interrupters listen to the chatter on the streets and intervene when something is about to go wrong.
We see the power of ‘interruption’ in practice as Ameena, Cobe and Eddie apply it in the streets, using their contacts, negotiating skills and quick wits to diffuse potentially volatile situations in areas blighted by poverty and crime.
This means that in order to be effective, they have to exercise a special brand of street diplomacy, which can involve anything from talking out issues on a porch to an impromptu trip to the local food joint.
Ameena draws on her own background as the daughter of a notorious gang leader to befriend and mentor a girl who reminds her of her younger self; Cobe uses his experience of loss and time in prison to disarm people with his charm and good nature; whilst Eddieās empathetic work with young children is driven by his own haunted past.
Each of these narrative strands could potentially provide the basis for a gripping feature film, but Steve James weaves them skilfully into a documentary which tackles a deep problem with considerable insight and human drama.
Returning to the same city that formed the backdrop of his landmark film Hoop Dreams (1994), the film is refreshingly candid about the problem of urban violence and mercifully free of the fake inspiration of mainstream TV documentaries.
The cameras here capture some extraordinarily raw scenes: a quick-witted doorstep negotiation with an angry man bent on revenge; a dramatic apology delivered to the owners of a barbershop; an interrupter lying on a hospital bed; and a school girl describing the effects of violence, are just some of the most affecting things Iāve seen this year.
But their power comes from the extensive groundwork laid out by James and Kotlowitz, who shot over 300 hours of footage and took time to earn the trust of their interviewees and the communities where they filmed.
This means that what we see on screen is filled with the kind of genuine surprises, narrative suspense and inspiring actions that only real life can provide.
Perhaps the most lasting aspect of The Interrupters is that it serves as a welcome counterblast to traditional ways in which the issue of urban violence is framed.
Hollywood favours improbable stories of mavericks beating the odds, whilst mainstream media such as CNN and Fox devote plenty of time to the gory outcome of murder whilst ignoring the root causes.
James and Kotlowitz (who served as co-producer on the film) adopt a slower and more considered approach which reaps rich dividends in exploring the complexity of human beings and the environment they inhabit.
In a sense, the film stays true to the long form journalism that inspired it, as research and a careful fidelity to the facts and issues at hand provide the backbone to the film.
According to the filmmakers, the minimalist production values and aesthetic were partly a product of making their subjects feel comfortable on camera, but it also emphasises the human factor well, which after all is what the film is really about.
The real genius of The Interrupters is that it immerses us in a particular situation but ultimately achieves a universal significance in depicting human struggle and redemption.
It also acts as a valuable document of a time when Chicago was brought into the national spotlight through the death of Derrion Albert in September 2009, and almost became a symbol for the violence across US cities.
After an acclaimed run at film festivals including Sundance, Sheffield and South by Southwest, it is very hard not to see this as an early Oscar frontrunner for Best Documentary.
At Sundance its running time was 164 minutes, but will open in the UK at a more audience-friendly running time of around two hours.
This means its commercial theatrical prospects have been improved ā and it is a film I would urge you to see at a cinema ā but presumably there is enough raw material for an extended cut on DVD or even a mini-series.
Like Hoop Dreams, the achievement here is immense and the film shines a valuable light on an issue which affects not just Chicago but every city suffering the human cost of violence.
The lasting legacy may be that practical, grass roots activism can provide relief from even the most intractable urban problems.
In what is already a very strong year for documentaries, this is one of the very best.
Speaking to Michael Govan, the director of the LACMA, Scorsese discusses a variety of topics and you can watchĀ the full interview here, which begins at 6:06:
Amongst the things they cover include:
Moving to LA in the 1970s and watching prints of old films
Not only is it like listening to the best film professor in history, but it is a genuinely illuminating discussion that touches upon the art and technique of the medium that has meant so much to him.
Submarine (Optimum Home Entertainment): This smart and beautifully crafted coming-of-age story marks an auspicious directorial debut for Richard Ayoade. Set in Swansea and based on Joe Dunthorneās novel, it explores the growing pains of 15-year old Oliver (Craig Roberts) as he falls in love with classmate Jordana (Yasmin Paige) and also struggles to prevent a new-age neighbour (Paddy Considine) from splitting up his parents (Noah Taylor and Sally Hawkins). [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK] [Read our full review here]
The Lavender Hill Mob (Optimum Home Entertainment): Classic 1951 Ealing comedy about an unassuming bank clerk (Alec Guinness) whose plan to steal gold bullion takes them to Paris. Directed by Charles Crichton, it co-stars Stanley Holloway, Sid James and Alfie Bass. This version has been fully restored and comes with extra features including an introduction by Martin Scorsese, who is a huge fan of the film. An interesting side note is that 37 years later Crichton would go on to direct A Fish Called Wanda (1988). [Buy from Amazon UK on Blu-ray or DVD]
ALSO OUT
Across the Line – The Exodus of Charlie Wright (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Faster (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal] Hobo With a Shotgun (Momentum Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Inhale (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Limitless (Momentum Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Super (G2 Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Company Men (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Silent House (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Two Deaths of Quincas Wateryell (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Twilight Zone – The Original Series: Season 3 (Fremantle Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Box Set]
Frederic Brodbeck has created a fascinating project which measures data to reveal the visual characteristics of certain movies.
As part of his bachelor graduation project at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, he used software to break down the characteristics of particular films (e.g. editing, colour, speech, motion) and then turned this information into a moving graphic.
…cinemetrics is about measuring and visualizing movie data, in order to reveal the characteristics of films and to create a visual āfingerprintā for them. Information such as the editing structure, color, speech or motion are extracted, analyzed and transformed into graphic representations so that movies can be seen as a whole and easily interpreted or compared side by side.Ā Being someone who really enjoys movies and cinema, I always notice little things about the style of a movie, so film and its characteristics were an interesting starting point for this project.
Furthermore my thesis is about generative / computational design and what role writing code plays regarding new approaches in (graphic) design. It was clear that for my graduation project I would use the methods I described in the thesis and that it would involve a certain amount of programming in order to visualize data. However, today there are already a lot of information graphics using meta-data related to film and cinema (budget, box office data, awards won, relationship between characters etc.). Thatās why I wanted to use the movie itself as a source of data, to see what sort of information can be extracted from it, to find ways of visualizing it and to create the necessary tools to do this.
This is all possible because digital formats allow us to extract and process the data that makes up a single movie, but what’s impressive here is the tools Brodbeck has used and the presentation of what he has found.
Extracting, processing and visualizing movie data is something you cannot do manually, that’s why custom software tools were written for pretty much every step of the process. Tools for disassembling video files into their components (video, audio, subtitles, etc.) and processing them (shot detection, average shot length, motion measuring, color palettes), as well as an interactive application to generate and compare different movie fingerprints. Most of the code is available here.
He has also written up his findings as a book:
Although film is sometimes an elusive medium to pin down with raw data, this is an impressive attampt to do just that.
After words from the director of the film office and governor of Pennsylvania, Nolan mentioned that he was drawn to the “unique architecture” of the city and that it will be “somewhat disrupted” within the story of the film.
Bale also made a joke about wearing the rubber batsuit in the hot weather despite the fake snow being used for some scenes and that they’ll be “fighting on the streets”, which suggests large outdoor action scenes.
I’m not sure whether the reason for switching to Pittsburgh was financial (better tax breaks), artistic (maybe the look of the city was more suited to this film) or a mixture of both.
By the way, this is what that house looks like on Google Street View:
It seems odd that they are filming a massive blockbuster on what seems to be a small residential street, but perhaps Nolan wanted the raw feel of an actual location, rather than just duplicate buildings on a large soundstage.
This CBS Pittsburgh report shows a bit more background, including how the production has paid for local residents to take their dogs away for a day (in case they bark during filming) and how a particular house has been completely taken over.
Footage has also surfaced of three Batmobiles, painted in the camoflage colours we saw in Batman Begins.
Steelers fans can see the filming of āThe Dark Knight Rises,ā in person as the movie will be shot in Pittsburgh and is looking for fans to be a part of a stadium crowd. The movie is looking for fans to fill a stadium in the Pittsburgh area on Saturday, August 6. The one-day filming runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is open to anyone 14-years old and up. Anyone under 18-years old must be accompanied by an adult. Fans will be asked to bring the same energy they do to Steelers games as they cheer on the Gotham Rogues in a football game against their rival the Rapid City Monuments.
In recent movies involving large stadium crowds, such as Invictus (2009), the trend was to use visual effects to fill out the ground, but it seems like Nolan and his team want to create the live action atmosphere of a real game.
One theory about the new film is that there is a strong connection with the first Nolan Batman film.
If you’ve seen the recent teaser trailer, the scene with Gordon (Gary Oldman) in a hospital bed suggests that Bruce Wayne reneged on the deal they struck at the end of The Dark Knight.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the evil that Gordon talks of is something to do with Bane (Tom Hardy) and my guess is that for the new film Batman has to begin all over again.
Not only does Gotham presuambly blame him for the death of Harvey Dent, but I suspect that Nolan wants to bring things full circle with the first film so that the franchise has a neat resolution (I think he has decided that this will definitely be his last).
We shall find out what happens when the film opens next July, but it is interesting to see that they are utilising the exterior locations of an American city.
Part of what has made the franchise work so well is the mixture of fantastical subject matter within a believable, urban world.
It seems that Pittsburgh is going to provide another side to Nolan’s Gotham.
An uneasy blend of Western and science fiction is another reminder of the dangers of pandering to the Comic-Con mentality.
Based on a 2006 graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the story begins in 1873 when the enigmatic Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the Arizona desert with no memory and a mysterious device around his wrist.
On entering the local town he discovers a local lawman (Harrison Ford) is after him, but when mysterious alien forces attack, people soon realise this stranger might hold the key to their salvation.
The easiest way to describe the premise of Cowboys and Aliens is that it plays like an unholy mix of Unforgiven (1992) and War of the Worlds (2005), although it never really works as a western or an alien invasion movie.
Itās a difficult film to fully analyse without giving too many plot spoilers away, but the twists range from the predictable to the ridiculous and the presence of five credited screenwriters is revealing.
The huge gaping holes in the story are compounded by thinly written roles: Craig is uneasy as the mysterious loner; Ford hams it up as the cranky lawman; Wilde is utterly wasted in a curious role; and the supporting cast (including Sam Rockwell) is treated little better.
This is not to say that the film is a total write off.
Director Jon Favreau shoots the Western elements with some skill, making great use of the New Mexico landscapes and, in some scenes, cinematographer Matthew Libatique brings the same visual pop Ā that made Iron Man (2008) so vibrant.
The look of the period is convincingly realised with the production design by Scott Chambliss and costumes by Mary Zophres, whilst the visual effects by ILM (supervised by Roger Guyett) are generally first-rate.
Although the opening is intriguing, by the end there is very little audiences havenāt actually seen before, including: token memory flashbacks, gruff characters learning to become nice, and traditional enemies joining forces against a common enemy.
After a protracted development history over fourteen years, it bears the hallmarks of an idea that has been prodded and embellished with the sole intention of getting geeks excited at Comic-Con.
In fact, a quick look at the history of this project reveals thatās exactly what happened.
But Iron Man 2 (2010) and Cowboys and Aliens are casebook studies of the perils of pandering to the fans: both surfed a wave of pre-release hype, but were proved inferior films when they finally came out.
One of the early marketing problems it faced was that some people mistakenly thought the premise was comedic, which although not true, does actually speaks volumes about the deficiencies of the film.
The final film feels like the result a studio pitch-meeting that geeks were invited to (āCowboysĀ andĀ aliens? Awesome!ā).
But the Comic-Con mindset is all bout celebrating what a movie could be, rather than what it actually is: in recent years list of Comic-Con flops grows ever longer (Sucker Punch perhaps being the ultimate example) as the hype of Hall H fades into the reality of the multiplex.
Maybe its time for the studios to allow filmmakers to focus on making better films rather than whipping up hype at conventions several months before it has even been released.
There is a director who has managed to do this very successfully. His name? Christopher Nolan.
Captain America: The First Avenger (Paramount): The latest installment of the Marvel cinematic universe traces the origin story of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a plucky soldier who is transformed into Captain America in order to fight the Nazis during World War II. Directed by Joe Johnsoton, it co-stars Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving. [Read our full review here] [Nationwide / 12]
Zookeeper (Sony Pictures): Comedy about a Boston zookeeper (Kevin James) who gets some life advice from the animals under his care. Directed by Frank Coraci, it co-stars Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb and features the voices of Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Nick Nolte and Adam Sandler. [Nationwide / PG]
Horrid Henry 3D (Vertigo Films): Adapted from the children’s books about a naughty little boy (Theo Stevenson) named Henry, this co-stars Anjelica Huston, Rebecca Front and Richard E Grant. Directed by Nick Moore, for some reason it is being released in 3D. [Nationwide / U]
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A Better Life (E1): Drama about a Mexican father (Demian Bichir ) and son (Bobby Soto) who struggle to survive as immigrant workers after their truck is stolen. Directed by Chris Weitz. [Key cities / 12A]
Arrietty (Optimum Releasing): The new film from Japan’s Studio Ghibli is a version of The Borrowers, based on Mary Norton’s 1950s novels, where miniature people live under the floorboards. Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi. [Key cities / U]
Although you might think that such a claim was the result of a reader poll or a subjective list by journalists, it turns out to have a basis in science.
Franco Zefirelli’s boxing drama starring Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway and Ricky Schroder has a special place in the hearts of scientists, who have used a scene from the filmĀ (spoiler alert if you click through) to gauge subject’s emotions.
The Champ has been used in experiments to see if depressed people are more likely to cry than non-depressed people (they arenāt). It has helped determine whether people are more likely to spend money when they are sad (they are) and whether older people are more sensitive to grief than younger people (older people did report more sadness when they watched the scene). Dutch scientists used the scene when they studied the effect of sadness on people with binge eating disorders (sadness didnāt increase eating).
It dates back to research conducted by the University of California in 1988, when psychology researchers were looking for movie scenes that triggered a single emotion at a time.
The emotions and films used to trigger them were as follows:
After numerous tests it was found that the pivotal scene in The Champ triggered sadness exclusively more than any other film they screened (Bambi was second).
Since then the three-minute clip has been cited in hundreds of scientific articles and even been used as a humane way to make test subjects sad in other studies.
But of course, emotions triggered when watching a film can be acutely personal and sad scenes can easily lapse into sentimentality.
Titled A History of the Title Sequence, it pays tribute to notable movie design figures and references key movies, including the following (click on each link to find out more or see the originals):
The answer lies in Conan the Barbarian, a sword and sorcery epic which came about at just the right time for the former Mr Universe.
After an illustrious career in bodybuilding Schwarzenegger gradually made the movie into movies by appearing in The Long Goodbye (1973), Stay Hungry (1976), the docudrama Pumping Iron (1977) and The Villain (1979).
Meanwhile, a screenwriter named Oliver Stone was struggling to get people interested in a movie of Robert E. Howardās Conan stories and when he and producer Edward R. Pressman eventually sold the idea to Dino De Laurentis, the famed producer subsequently hired John Milius to re-write and direct.
Milius was, and remains, an interesting figure: although he was coming off the commercial failure of his personal surfer movie Big Wednesday (1978), his writing contributions to classic 1970s cinema were considerable.
Not only did he come up with some of the most memorable ideas in Apocalypse Now (1979), including the classic helicopter attack set to Wagner, but he also made telling contributions to Dirty Harry (1971) and Jaws (1975).
A self-described āZen anarchistā, he also went on to join the board of the National Rifle Association and inspire the character of Walter Sobchak (played by John Goodman) in The Big Lebowski (1998).
Conan the Barbarian represented an opportunity for Milius to indulge his passion for medieval fantasy and Nietzschean ideas about the will to power, and for Schwarzenegger was a perfect role for someone of his physique.
Set during a fictional prehistoric age, the story is about a young boy named Conan who witnesses the death of his parents at the hands of sinister warrior Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones).
Later as a grown man he embarks on revenge, along with two fellow warriors Subotai (Gerry Lopez), Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) and the wizard Akiro (Mako), when a King (Max von Sydow) recruits him to rescue his daughter from the clutches of Doom.
I hadnāt seen Conan in many years and was surprised at how well it holds up as a fantasy romp, even though closer inspection of its underlying ideas might lead one to suspect that Milius identifies with the politics of Genghis Khan (the Mongol leader is even loosely quoted by the lead character at one point) .
Opening with an introductory quote by Nietzsche (āThat which does not kill us makes us strongerā) we are quickly thrust into a world of beheadings, slavery, killer dogs, gladiatorial combat, orgies, cannibalism and people who worship large snakes.
By modern standards, it is refreshingly dark for a mainstream film and would probably struggle to get financed today in an era where major studios favour PG-13 entertainment.
Schwarzenegger fits the title role like a glove and his relative inexperience as an actor actually works in his favour, as the character of Conan feels more authentic due to his striking physicality and one-note acting.
Apparently on set Arnold told Milius that he would take directions like a trained dog and this actually makes perfect sense ā not only did allay his worries about being a lead actor but it allowed him to focus on becoming a convincing medieval warrior.
The actors who play his cohorts (Lopez and Bergman) also suit their roles well and the presence of Earl Jones and Von Sydow in more intimidating roles lends a certain gravitas to proceedings.
Perhaps most memorable of all is the stunning use of various locations in Spain, using locations in Andalusia favoured by spaghetti westerns, which are augmented by some splendid production design, the centrepiece being a giant staircase built on a mountainside.
It looks surprisingly sharp on Blu-ray (despite traces of grain) and although I donāt think the film has been fully restored, this is almost certainly the best it has ever looked.
The UK censor has a low tolerance policy for scenes showing animals getting hurt and Conan is an example of a film shot before more stringent production standards were adopted regarding the welfare of animals on set.
Some sequences where horses fell for real were cut by the BBFC for the home video release but fans of the film feelĀ this screws up the continuity of some scenes, especially during one of the climactic fights.
However, UK viewers can access the uncut French version of the film byĀ simply selecting that version on the root menu of the disc.
The commentary track featuring Milius and Schwarzenegger (originally recorded for the DVD release) is hilarious and filled with wonderful rambling anecdotes about the production and the ideas behind the film.
The extras are as follows:
UK Theatrical Version (triggered from English Menu’s only)
Commentary by Director John Milius & Arnold Schwarzenegger
Deleted Scenes Sequence
Conan Unchained: The Making of Conan
Conan – Rise of the Fantasy Legend
Special Effects Split Screen Video
The Conan Archives
Theatrical Trailers
New Extra: Art of Steel: The Blacksmith & Swordsman: Examines the making of and significance of Conanās Sword. (10mins)
New Extra: Conan; From the Vault: Newly discovered interviews shot in 1982 with Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Milius, James Earl Jones and Sandhal Bergman. (10mins)
The latest Marvel character comes to the big screen in a period fantasy which has its moments but is ultimately diminished by being part of a wider comic book narrative.
Ever since 2008, Marvel Studios has been on something of a roll.
Previously, major Hollywood studios had licensed Marvel properties such as Spider-Man, X-Men and Fantastic Four and reaped huge commercial rewards in the resulting movies.
With Iron Man (2008) the comic book company decided to finance a movie themselves – with major studio just distributing -and monetise their properties more effectively than they had done before.
The resulting film was significant as it was not only a huge hit which rejuvenated the career of Robert Downey Jnr, but the beginning of a connected franchise of films involving Marvel characters.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (it has its own Wikipedia page) includes: The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and The Avengers (2012).
Captain Americaās story begins with a present day discovery in the Arctic, before flashing back to the 1940s when a plucky Brooklyn weakling named Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is recruited to be part of a secret program headed by expatriate German scientist (Stanley Tucci).
He becomes part of a āsuper-soldierā program under the command of a Colonel (Tommy Lee Jones) and British officer (Hayley Atwell), whilst in Europe his evil German counterpart Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) has a contrasting transformation into the villainous Red Skull.
What follows is a standard superhero origin story, but the screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely deftly pokes fun at the patriotic origins of the character whilst at the same time largely delivering the action movie goods.
Unlike Iron Man, it is hard to imagine a modern incarnation of Captain America in an age where US foreign policy has angered so much of the world, but the period setting is a smart move, as it allows us an ironic distance from the character and the story.
Director Joe Johnston was presumably recruited because he made The Rocketeer (1991), another period superhero film set around World War 2, and to a degree that pays off, as the old fashioned look, witty dialogue and romantic angles are well realised.
But there are some underlying problems to this version of Captain America, which stem from the underlying blandness of the character, the uneasy mix of period design and CGI, and the creeping familiarity of the Avengers universe.
Steve Rogers is still a fairly one-dimensional hero and although there are nice recurring motifs (such as his use of a shield), heās still the archetypal loner surrounded by characters who initially doubt and then come to respect him.
The actors do their best: Chris Evans has a steady, innocent charm in the lead role and Hayley Atwell and Tommy Lee Jones are also good value, but the underlying material doesnāt really provide them with anything truly substantial.
The production design by Rich Heinrichs features some good use of sets and real world locations (with various UK places standing in for Brooklyn and World War 2 Europe) but for many of the more expansive action sequences CGI is used in a distracting way.
This is a problem that plagues many modern action films and in crucial sequences the mix of real actors and CGI enhanced backgrounds just doesnāt look right.
The 3D compounds the problem as it not only reduces the brightness of the film, but the post-conversion process used here doesnāt provide images of sufficient depth or detail.
In contrast, the sound design supervised by Howell Gibbens is first rate and gives the action sequences a real kick, especially in the action sequences and the moments involving Captain Americaās iconic shield.
Alan Silvestri’s old fashioned score also adds the appropriate lift to the proceedings.
But the wider Avengers universe is always hovering in the background: we see Tony Starkās father (Dominic Cooper) and thereās a climax involving the now obligatory cameo from a certain S.H.I.E.L.D agent, along with a post-credits scene for hardcore fans.
This is all part of leading up to next yearās Avengers movie, which will combine the characters of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and Captain America, but the whole approach of the franchise so far has made the Marvel films up to this point feel like watered down prequels rather than standalone movies.
Captain America: The First Avenger has its moments but ultimately makes you pine for a superhero movie which has a proper resolution and doesnāt feel part of some brightly coloured, never-ending franchise.
The Eagle (Universal Pictures): Rosemary Sutcliffe’s 1954 historical novel finally reaches the screen with this drama set in 140 AD about a young Roman officer (Channing Tatum) and his slave (Jamie Bell), who venture on a journey to find the eagle standard of an ill-fated legion who disappeared in the North of Britain. Directed by Kevin MacDonald, it features some authentic period detail, rich visuals from cinematographer Antony Dodd Mantle and supporting performances from Donald Sutherland and Mark Strong. [Listen to our interview with producer Duncan Kenworthy] [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK]
The Lincoln Lawyer (EV): Surprisingly satisfying legal drama about an LA lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) who conducts business from the back of his Lincoln town car while representing a high-profile client in Beverly Hills. Adapted from Michael Connelly’s bestselling novel by director Brad Furman, it features some nice supporting turns from Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe and William H Macy. [Buy it on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK]
Went the Day Well? (Optimum Home Entertainment): A curious but highly effective piece of Allied wartime time propaganda, this 1942 film from Ealing Studios imagines an English village taken over by German paratroopers disguised as British soldiers. Using a flashback narrative, the film has been restored by StudioCanal and the BFI for this Blu-ray and DVD release and also features an early role for Thora Hird. [Buy the Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon UK]
ALSO OUT
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Middle Men (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Rango (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Scream of the Banshee (G2 Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Funhouse (Arrow Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] The Round Up (Revolver Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] Unknown (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal] World War II 360: The Complete SeriesĀ (Go Entertain) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Set in Britain during 140 AD, it tells the story of a young Roman officer (Channing Tatum) and his slave (Jamie Bell), who venture to the North of England in order to find the eagle standard of an ill-fated legion who disappeared several years before.
I recently spoke with him about its development, the historical accuracy of the piece, choosing Kevin MacDonald as director and the current state of the British film industry after the closure of the UK Film Council.
Cars 2 (Walt Disney): Pixar’s sequel to the 2006 film sees racing star Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) go an international adventure as they go up against the world’s fastest cars. Directed by John Lasseter, it features the voices of Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin and Tony Shalhoub. [Nationwide / U]
Horrible Bosses (Universal): Comedy about three friends who conspire to murder their awful bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness. Directed by Seth Gordon, it stars Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Collin Farrell, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day. [Nationwide / 15]
Beginners (Universal): Drama about a man (Ewan McGregor) who is surprised when his elderly father (Christopher Plummer) makes two bombshell announcements. Directed by Mike Mills, it co-stars Melanie Laurent. [Nationwide / 15]
ALSO OUT
The Big PictureĀ (Artificial Eye): Drama about a partner in a big Paris law firm (Romain Duris) who finds his life turned upside down by unexpected events. Directed by Christopher Guest and Eric Lartigau. [Selected cinemas / 15]
YouTube Doubler is a website that allows you to play two videos at the same time and compare them side-by-side.
The two Spider-Man trailers make an interesting case study as they reveal the similarities and differences of the respective films.
The 2002 trailer is snappier and has no problem featuring Peter Parker as Spider-Man, whereas as the 2012 one doesn’t really reveal the iconic suit until the very end in an extended POV epilogue, which appears to be a showcase for the film’s 3D visuals (the CGI looks like it needs to be refined).
For the record, I think the trailer for the 2002 film is much stronger, although it’s hard to fully judge until the new film comes out.
The Amazing Spider-Man is out on July 3rd 2012, just 9 days ahead of The Dark Knight Rises, which suggests Sony are pretty bullish about this film having a massive opening weekend.
It’s obvious that this story deserves better than some wishy-washy one-off BBC2 drama, so how about reuniting the creative team behind The Social Network?
The first teaser trailer for the upcoming Batman film The Dark Knight Rises was officially released today.
It will be released on July 20th next year and as the film is currently shooting, there is only a couple of new bits of footage mixed in with clips from Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008).
Interestingly, Warner Bros released it on the official Facebook page for the film (the official site links directly to it), which is a clever move as it allows them to track ‘likes’ and comments from fans, as opposed to an embedded trailer which merely tracks page views and plays.
Obviously this is one of the most anticipated films in years, so how does a studio like Warner Bros go about releasing the first teaser?
They decided to attach it to cinema prints of the latest Harry Potter film (thus tapping in to a huge audience) but part of the problem is that these days people just film it on their smart phone and upload it to YouTube.
That meant that although some got taken down, it wasn’t hard to see one on the popular video site and, if you were really keen, /Film even posted a detailed description.
The official trailer in HD finally dropped on Facebook at around 5pm London time and predictably was linked all over the place.
But it raises the question – shouldn’t studios just premiere big trailers like this on YouTube?
As for the content, we get a glimpse of what the story might involve, the main villain, a brief new clip of Batman and that weird chant music which was playing on the official website until recently.
Also, freeze frame the trailer at 1:24 and you’ll notice a blurry figure in the background who some are already speculating about.
Finally AndrewSS7 has created this wonderful montage of the posters from the three Batman films (Warner Bros should hire this guy).
American Graffiti (Universal Pictures): Director George Lucas established himself with this 1973 coming of tale set in Modesto, California. Set over the course of one night in 1962, it explores a group of characters as they ponder what to do with their lives and stars Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford. [Buy it on Blu-ray from Amazon UK]
Dazed and Confused (Universal Pictures): Richard Linklater’s vintage 1993 coming of age drama examines a group of teenagers in Austin, Texas as they graduate school in 1976. Although not initially a huge hit, it won deserved cult status and the terrific ensemble cast includes Matthew McConaughey, Jason London, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Cole Hauser, Parker Posey, Anthony Rapp, Adam Goldberg, Joey Lauren Adams, Nicky Katt and Rory Cochrane. [Buy the Blu-ray at Amazon UK]
Deep End (BFI): Another coming of age tale (this is really quite the week for them) is this 1970 British film from director Jerzy Skolimowski isĀ aboutĀ a teenager (John Moulder Brown) who finds a job at a public bathhouse, where he falls for a co-worker (Jane Asher). A US-German co-production, it was mired in rights issues for decades – despite influential critical acclaim – butĀ has now been restored and re-released by the BFI. [Buy the Blu-ray + DVD at Amazon UK]
ALSO OUT
A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventure (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition with 2D Edition] A.I. (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] AC/DC: Let There Be Rock (Warner Home Video) [Blu-ray / Normal] Animal House (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Big Mommas – Like Father Like Son (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray] Blue Crush 2 (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal] Carmen (Second Sight) [Blu-ray / Normal] Chocolat (Miramax) [Blu-ray / Normal] Coast: Series 6 (Acorn Media UK) [Blu-ray / Normal] Country Strong (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal] Cry Baby (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / with DVD] Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Warner Bros.): The final chapter in the long running franchise sees Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) battle Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) for the last time. Directed by David Yates, it co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. [Nationwide / 12A] [Read our longer review]
Hobo With A Shotgun (Momentum): A homeless vigilante (Rutger Hauer) takes on away crooked cops and other scumbags with a shotgun. Directed by Jason Eisener, it co-stars Gregory Smith and Jason Eisener. [Key Cities / 18]
Bal (Honey): Turkish-German drama about a young boy and his father living in forested region of north-eastern Turkey. Directed by Semih Kaplanoglu and starring Erdal BesikƧioglu, TĆ¼lin Ćzen and Bora Altas, it won the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlin film festival. [Key Cities / PG]
Cell 211 (Optimum Releasing): Spanish drama about a prisoner who enters jail just as a riot kicks off. Directed by Daniel Monzon, it stars Wis Tosar and Alberto Ammann. [Selected cinemas / 18]
Just Do It (Leftfield Films): Documentary about climate change protests directed by Emily James. [Selected cinemas / 12A]
Should box office grosses be adjusted for inflation?
With the Harry Potter film franchise coming to an end this week there is a dispute about whether or not it is the most successful film series in history.
But The Economist report that another British icon, James Bond, remains the box office champ:
But who is right?
It would seem to depend on which information you choose to include or accept.
When people talk about the highest grossing films of all time, there is often a debate about whether or not Gone with the Wind (1939) is still the biggest film of all time.
Inflation-adjustment is mostly done by multiplying estimated admissions by the latest average ticket price. Where admissions are unavailable, adjustment is based on the average ticket price for when each movie was released (taking in to account re-releases where applicable).
Essentially what they are saying is that a simple bit of guesswork maths comes up with the following equation:
(estimated admissions x latest average ticket prices)
There is a certain logic to that, but what about the era before home entertainment really exploded in the 1980s?
Films such as Gone with the Wind were re-released at cinemas because there was no home entertainment ‘afterlife’.
Until the advent of television in the 1950s, VHS in the 1980s and DVD in 1990s films like this could only be seen in cinemas.
Box Office Mojo further describe how they account for this in their ‘adjusted for inflation’ box office chart:
* Indicates documented multiple theatrical releases. Most of the pre-1980 movies listed on this chart had multiple undocumentented releases over the years. The year shown is the first year of release. Most pre-1980 pictures achieved their totals through multiple releases, especially Disney animated features which made much of their totals in the past few decades belying their original release dates in terms of adjustment. For example, Snow White has made $118,328,683 of its unadjusted $184,925,486 total since 1983.
So Gone with the Wind and classic Disney movies hugely benefitted from re-releases over the years, simply because there was no home entertainment market.
Dig further and it gets even more complicated.
According to Box Office Mojo weekend box office data was primitive at best, even well in to the 1990s:
many movies from the 80s to mid-90s may not have as extensive weekend box office data and many movies prior to 1980 may not have weekend data at all, so the full timeframe for when that movie made its money may not be available. In such cases (and where actual number of tickets sold is not available), we can only adjust based on its total earnings and the average ticket price for the year it was released.
Still, this should be a good general guideline to gauge a movie’s popularity and compare it to other movies released in different years or decades. Since inflation adjusted sales figures are therefore not widely publicized by the film industry, inflation adjusted sales rankings and ticket sales comparisons across the last 100 years are difficult to compile.
So although we can get a rough idea of the popularity of a particular film, is it really so sensible to claim Gone with the Wind is a bigger film than Avatar based on a series of calculations?
If you go down the mathematical adjustment route, more things have to be factored in and that leads to even more questions.
What do changing ticket prices really say?
Whilst it is true that the cost of seeing Gone with the Wind in the 1930s was less than Avatar in 2009, there are other issues that come in to play.
The most obvious is the fundamental differences of two eras: films were released in a gradual way up until the 1970s and there were no computers or any of the data tracking tools studios now take for granted.
There is also the slippery nature of inflation itself: do the changes in ticket prices over several decades vary?
Inflation is used as a catch all term, but the rate of inflation may be different in 1950, 1970 and 2000 (is your head exploding yet?).
So, the equation which links ticket prices and inflation are on shifting sands.
Even if you compared the number of tickets sold, rather than the amount they sold for, you’ve got the additional problem of older machines and the retention of data from eras that weren’t using computers or keeping any detailed records.
(I would assume that grosses for films in the early 20th century were either reported in trade journals, newspapers or studio records)
What about the last decade? How do we measure the impact of 3D and IMAX prices, as you might argue that the grosses for Avatar and The Dark Knight were ‘artificially inflated’ by these newer formats which have in-built higher prices.
But what happens when you don’t adjust for inflation at all?
It would seem that over the last decade major movie studios have pushed this line, with wider releases on more screens so that they can use the term record-breaking as part of their marketing strategy.
But what this list really reveals is that modern marketing and distribution systems are more advanced than ever before.
If you want a different perspective, consider the following films: The Birth of a Nation (1915), Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), Rear Window (1954), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), The Godfather (1972) and Blazing Saddles (1974).
What do they have in common?
The answer is that they were the most successful films of their respective years, which Wikipedia have usefully listed under another list of the highest-grossing films by year:
After Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977) the list is mostly filled by action or fantasy tent-pole releases, with the 2000s being dominated by pirates, wizards and hobbits.
Normalizing this to the reference year normalizes all social, economical, and political factors such as the availability of expendable cash, number of theater screens, relative cost of tickets, competition from television, the rapid releases of movies on DVDs, the improvement of home theater equipment, and film bootlegging.
For example, in 1946 the per capita movie ticket purchasing rate for the average person was 34 tickets a year. In 2004, this average rate had dropped to only five tickets per person per year, in response mainly to competition from television.
There is a lot to be said for this approach as captures what films meant in a particular social and historical context.
I think it also brings us back to the central question of whether or not we should even attempt to adjust for inflation.
The modern day film industry is structured around newly released films, so they have a vested interest in not doing it.
After all 20th Century Fox don’t exactly want to promote Avatar on billboards as:
“The biggest film of all time – apart from Gone with the Wind!”
At the same time, there is some value in trying to account for different eras and the impact particular films had.
Theatrical box office can sometimes be a little misleading.
These are exceptions but show what impact word of mouth can have in an era of home entertainment.
Perhaps a more useful way of measuring the box office over time is a combination of considering what films made the most money in the current era, along with checking what was successful in a particular year.
It isn’t perfect but shows the complications that can lie under what seems to be simple facts.
