By 1993, Sylvester Stallone was an established action star, thanks to three "Rambo" films and five "Rocky" movies. But after his rival, Arnold Schwarzenegger, tricked him into starring in the abject "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot", the then-46-year-old needed to reassert himself. And so, '93 was the year Stallone returned to action, first as Ranger Gabe Walker in rock climbing thriller "Cliffhanger," before facing off against Wesley Snipes in "Demolition Man."
The latter was the project of big-time action producer Joel Silver, the man responsible in large part for the "Lethal Weapon" and "Die Hard" franchises. "Demolition Man" saw Stallone play John Spartan, an LAPD cop who's given a 70-year-long "cryo-sentence" after being wrongfully convicted of indirectly killing hostages in pursuit of his criminal nemesis, Simon Phoenix (Snipes). He's thawed out in the year 2032 to help the police track down Phoenix, who was also cryogenically frozen but escaped after being thawed out for parole.
The latter was the project of big-time action producer Joel Silver, the man responsible in large part for the "Lethal Weapon" and "Die Hard" franchises. "Demolition Man" saw Stallone play John Spartan, an LAPD cop who's given a 70-year-long "cryo-sentence" after being wrongfully convicted of indirectly killing hostages in pursuit of his criminal nemesis, Simon Phoenix (Snipes). He's thawed out in the year 2032 to help the police track down Phoenix, who was also cryogenically frozen but escaped after being thawed out for parole.
- 2/25/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Jerome Hellman, the producer of landmark films such as Midnight Cowboy and Coming Home has died. The Oscar winner’s wife, Elizabeth Empleton Hellman, confirmed Hellman’s May 26 passing saying simply, “we will miss him terribly.” He was 92.
Hellman’s films helped define the “New Hollywood” of the 1970s. He tended to work repeatedly with a circle of top-notch collaborators and the films Hellman produced came from iconic directors such as John Schlesinger, Hal Ashby, George Roy Hill, Irvin Kershner and Peter Weir.
That Hellman would win Best Picture for Schlesinger’s Midnight Cowboy in 1970 was, at the very least, improbable. Hellman was going through a tough divorce. The film was based on a little-known novel. Schlesinger didn’t think Dustin Hoffman was right to play Ratso Rizzo. But Hellman fought for the Graduate actor. Also, the film was X-rated and dealt with homosexuality, prostitution and a gritty slice of...
Hellman’s films helped define the “New Hollywood” of the 1970s. He tended to work repeatedly with a circle of top-notch collaborators and the films Hellman produced came from iconic directors such as John Schlesinger, Hal Ashby, George Roy Hill, Irvin Kershner and Peter Weir.
That Hellman would win Best Picture for Schlesinger’s Midnight Cowboy in 1970 was, at the very least, improbable. Hellman was going through a tough divorce. The film was based on a little-known novel. Schlesinger didn’t think Dustin Hoffman was right to play Ratso Rizzo. But Hellman fought for the Graduate actor. Also, the film was X-rated and dealt with homosexuality, prostitution and a gritty slice of...
- 5/28/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Fifteen years ago this month, the Best Picture race at the Oscars pitted Rob Marshall’s razzle-dazzle musical “Chicago” against Roman Polanski’s wrenching Holocaust drama “The Pianist”: a bipolar set of Academy Awards contenders that caused many critics and filmmakers to get both their knickers and their boxers in a twist.
Yes, “The Pianist” may have been the more important work, but was it so important that movie folks could forgive Polanski for the 1977 rape of a 13-year-old child that caused him to become a permanent fugitive from American justice?
Sympathetic Patrick Goldstein, writing in the influential Los Angeles Times, compared Polanski’s case to that of “Les Miserable’s” Jean Valjean, “an ex-con trying to turn his life around who is being obsessively tracked and hunted down by the Parisian police inspector Javert.” Well, of course, drugging and raping a pubescent girl for your perverse pleasure is...
Yes, “The Pianist” may have been the more important work, but was it so important that movie folks could forgive Polanski for the 1977 rape of a 13-year-old child that caused him to become a permanent fugitive from American justice?
Sympathetic Patrick Goldstein, writing in the influential Los Angeles Times, compared Polanski’s case to that of “Les Miserable’s” Jean Valjean, “an ex-con trying to turn his life around who is being obsessively tracked and hunted down by the Parisian police inspector Javert.” Well, of course, drugging and raping a pubescent girl for your perverse pleasure is...
- 2/12/2018
- by Jack Mathews
- Gold Derby
Welcome to Outrage Watch, HitFix's semi-regular rundown of entertainment-related kerfuffles. Not anxious enough already? Get your fix of righteous indignation below, and stay posted for outrage updates throughout the week. 25 years after allegedly assaulting multiple women including former "Pump It Up" host Dee Barnes, ex-girlfriend and collaborator Michel'le and rapper/singer Tairrie B, Dr. Dre has apologized for his past misdeeds in a statement to the New York Times: "In a sign that the uproar was threatening not only his reputation but also his business dealings, Dr. Dre, who has previously spoken dismissively or vaguely about the allegations, which are decades old, confronted them on Friday in a statement to The New York Times. While he did not address each allegation individually, he said: 'Twenty-five years ago I was a young man drinking too much and in over my head with no real structure in my life. However, none of...
- 8/21/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
As former L.A. Times writer Patrick Goldstein recounted last year in an internecine article about Hollywood’s mercurial entertainment industry, the reporters on the front lines are often as ego-centric, vain, hot-blooded and brash as the studio chiefs, agents and fictional characters they write about; sometimes more so. The article was essentially about the Hollywood trades; the increasingly desperate need to be (or appear to be) first on any morsel of news, the unseemly fighting around bragging rights, and the cast of frantic and distressed characters waging the war of firsts. Not-so-curiously absent from the list of names like Finke, Fleming and Waxman, was Anne Thompson. A former Variety and Hollywood Reporter veteran, Thompson’s dependable blog, “Thompson On Hollywood” has had a home at Indiewire for the last four years. While the aforementioned writers are often defined by the caustic personalities and egos threatening to undermine what is often good reporting,...
- 4/30/2014
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Even though Patrick Goldstein’s dissection of showbiz trade publications in the upcoming Los Angeles Magazine only seems longer (and far less sexy) than Fifty Shades Of Grey, I worried when I read through almost all eight pages that he broke no new ground beyond a self-important declaration he has been offered jobs by some of his subjects. And then suddenly, he made a pronouncement as bold and daring as back to the ’70s, when music critic Jon Landau wrote that he had seen the future of rock and roll, and its name is Bruce Springsteen. Just as boldly, Goldstein reveals that he has seen the future of entertainment journalism and it is … The Wrap‘s Jeff Sneider? My first instinct was to instantly understand why the La Times had put Goldstein out to pasture with early retirement. After all, in his mind, journalism’s answer to Bruce Springsteen is...
- 11/22/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Another Los Angeles Times media star is leaving after a tumultuous few weeks. Film columnist Patrick Goldstein left soon after the arrival of new La Times assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment John Corrigan. Now veteran entertainment writer Geoff Boucher, who founded the successful "Hero Complex" blog in 2008, is also leaving, but the Lat has not offered him a buyout. Why would they? His blog is on track to generate some 50 million page views a year. La Times president Kathy Thomson took Boucher to lunch last Friday to try and keep him. But it was too late. Boucher walked out on the paper, saying, "I'm done," after a heated debate with Corrigan. "The way it happened is not the way I had planned," Boucher admits. "I had an exchange with John Corrigan that changed my plan. I was going to sit tight until the creditors took over and see...
- 9/12/2012
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Geoff Boucher, the entertainment reporter who created the widely-read Hero Complex fanboy blog, is leaving the Los Angeles Times, several individuals with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap. Boucher has been a reporter at the Times since 1992 and has covered beats as diverse as pop music, crime, the 2000 presidential election, television and movies. Reached by phone, Boucher would not confirm or deny his plans. A spokeswoman for The Times said on Monday: "I can't confirm that." Also read: L.A. Times' Patrick Goldstein Files Last 'Big Picture' Column Late Monday, Boucher tweeted: "Interviewed...
- 9/11/2012
- by Alexander C. Kaufman
- The Wrap
2Nd Update: ‘Hero Complex’ blogger Geoff Boucher tonight finally acknowledged he is leaving the Los Angeles Times. He said on Twitter: @geoffboucher: Interviewed Clint Eastwood over on the Warner Bros lot today…great way to go out. @Mygeektime: ”going out”? are u leaving La Times? @geoffboucher: Yes after 21 years. Update 5:30 Pm: Back on August 23rd I scooped the news from a reliable Hollywood source that Geoff Boucher was moving on from his position as the Los Angeles Times ‘Hero Complex’ blogger for reasons unclear. To date there has been no announcement from Boucher or the paper. (Although at one point Boucher was checking to see if his company Twitter account was still working…) Today I’ve obtained an internal email not for public consumption from a top La Times entertainment editor that confirms in the subject line, “No maybe about it: Geoff is leaving.” I said it last month...
- 9/11/2012
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline TV
2Nd Update: ‘Hero Complex’ blogger Geoff Boucher tonight finally acknowledged he is leaving the Los Angeles Times. He said on Twitter: @geoffboucher: Interviewed Clint Eastwood over on the Warner Bros lot today…great way to go out. @Mygeektime: ”going out”? are u leaving La Times? @geoffboucher: Yes after 21 years. Update 5:30 Pm: Back on August 23rd I scooped the news from a reliable Hollywood source that Geoff Boucher was moving on from his position as the Los Angeles Times ‘Hero Complex’ blogger for reasons unclear. To date there has been no announcement from Boucher or the paper. (Although at one point Boucher was checking to see if his company Twitter account was still working…) Today I’ve obtained an internal email not for public consumption from a top La Times entertainment editor that confirms in the subject line, “No maybe about it: Geoff is leaving.” I said it last month...
- 9/11/2012
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline Hollywood
Update: About 10 minutes after I posted this, Geoff Boucher tweeted about hanging up on me. He still hasn’t confirmed his departure: @geoffboucher - Shortest phone call ever: “Hi. It’s Nikki Finke, I heard you’re leaving The Times.” “I’m not a fan.” Click. Previous: Geoff Boucher wouldn’t confirm or deny it on the phone to me just now. But a reliable Hollywood source tells me tonight that the Los Angeles Times ‘Hero Complex’ blogger is moving on for reasons unclear. This would be a huge loss for the paper and it follows on the heels of longtime movie columnist Patrick Goldstein taking a buyout instead of working for the new editorial leadership. ’Hero Complex’ is a great blog, Boucher is an expert in all things comics, and as Indiewire’s Anne Thompson wrote recently, “The Lat‘s Geoff Boucher is the new model entertainment writer, constantly...
- 8/24/2012
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline Hollywood
Update: About 10 minutes after I posted this, Geoff Boucher tweeted about hanging up on me. He still hasn’t confirmed his departure: @geoffboucher - Shortest phone call ever: “Hi. It’s Nikki Finke, I heard you’re leaving The Times.” “I’m not a fan.” Click. Previous: Geoff Boucher wouldn’t confirm or deny it on the phone to me just now. But a reliable Hollywood source tells me tonight that the Los Angeles Times ‘Hero Complex’ blogger is moving on for reasons unclear. This would be a huge loss for the paper and it follows on the heels of longtime movie columnist Patrick Goldstein taking a buyout instead of working for the new editorial leadership. ’Hero Complex’ is a great blog, Boucher is an expert in all things comics, and as Indiewire’s Anne Thompson wrote recently, “The Lat‘s Geoff Boucher is the new model entertainment writer, constantly...
- 8/24/2012
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline TV
With the departure of Patrick Goldstein, the Los Angeles Times loses an authoritative, insider's voice covering the entertainment industry, diminishing its relevancy in a brutally competitive news space. Curious choice for a paper that spends a good deal of energy selling itself to Hollywood advertisers as a trade. Curious for a paper whose editorial ambition has long been to "own Hollywood." Why would they do that? I've no doubt that Goldstein -- a friend and colleague for many years but who declined to be interviewed for this piece -- may not be the...
- 8/23/2012
- by Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
Patrick Goldstein is leaving the La Times after reportedly taking a buyout. After twelve years, his last column ran today. I'm sorry to see him go. But I have a confession to make. I had stopped reading Goldstein. I wasn't avoiding him. There was a time when I read the weekly The Big Picture column religiously, looked forward to it: good, bad or ugly. Goldstein had cronies in the industry who he'd write about, year in, year out, and protect, and serve. This happens to all of us, after a while, to one degree or another. THR's Kim Masters said it best when she left L.A. for a period for a gig at The Washington Post: "I made too many friends and too many enemies." So what happened? Entertainment news and the way we consume it changed. My print subscription to the LATimes runs Thursday to Sunday--the minimum I...
- 8/22/2012
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Patrick Goldstein, the longtime "Big Picture" columnist at the Los Angeles Times, has penned his final column, he announced in his column that appeared on the web Tuesday night. Goldstein has written "The Big Picture" for 12 years, during which time, he recalled in his final column, he never feared ruffling the feathers of his readers and subjects. He did not give a reason for ending the column. John Corrigan, the Times' assistant managing editor in charge of entertainment coverage, told TheWrap he had "no comment" when asked about Goldstein's future at the...
- 8/22/2012
- by Alexander C. Kaufman
- The Wrap
My sources say longtime Los Angeles Times movie columnist Patrick Goldstein decided to take a buyout rather than work for the new leadership at the newspaper announced earlier this year. “He felt there was no more future for him there. It was obvious since all the new people think about is driving web traffic. They’re trying to put everyone to work doing that,” my source says. Wednesday’s edition of the Lat is Goldstein’s last column for that media outlet. No public announcement was made, and my source says about the lack of any explanation, “part of his going away deal is that he can’t disparage the new leadership”. Goldstein’s thoughtful and knowledgeable and deeply sourced column appeared in the newspaper regularly and was one of the few remaining reasons left to read Calendar these days. But over the years he resisted many attempts to turn...
- 8/22/2012
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline Hollywood
question of the day: Are the Oscars an ever clearer indication that Hollywood *knows* it makes crap?
So, the Oscars are about Hollywood recognizing its own, honoring the quality work of the past year. But in recent years, it seems, the refrain has grown louder every year: The Oscars are irrelevant to audiences because the nominated movies -- that is, the supposed “best” movies -- are hardly ever the most popular movies. (For a recent example, see: “Are Oscars out of touch with modern audiences?” at Times Lives.) The addition of extra Best Picture nominees was an attempt on the part of the Academy to make room for more populist films... but this year, with nine nominees in that category, only one -- The Help -- could be described as a blockbuster. The divide between the films that Hollywood produces to be popular and the films that Hollywood recognizes as quality seems to be worsening. Patrick Goldstein at The Big Picture: This year’s box office is booming,...
- 2/22/2012
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Who won the Super Bowl this past Sunday? You don't remember? You're probably not alone. However, you'll likely recall some of the ads and shows presented during the game. Curiously, even more memorable than M.I.A.'s middle finger, Madonna's (otherwise PG-rated) Mylène Farmer-style musical extravaganza, and the movie spots for The Dictator, The Avengers, Battleship, and John Carter was a simple car ad. A Chrysler car ad, for Christ sake. (Please scroll down.) The ad has become a cause célèbre not necessarily because of what it has to say or how the message is conveyed. In fact, "It's Halftime America" looks like every corny ad that G.E., for one, has been cranking out since time immemorial. The issue here is the political affiliations of the ad's car salesman: Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood, Chrysler Super Bowl Halftime commercial Eastwood, a paragon of socially sanctioned vigilantism disguised as...
- 2/7/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
'Tis the season for awards - and that means on Sunday it was time to read and hear (repeatedly) how the Golden Globes matter because they are "precursors to the Oscars," remarkable for their mystical ability to predict the Academy Awards. Of course, if you repeat any mantra enough, people will believe almost anything But then reality rears its pesky head and gets in the way.
Indeed, the dirty little secret about the Golden Globes is that they're the biggest flim-flam scam on the American public today. Okay, other than "Mitt Romney is a far-right conservative."
(And one of the main reasons that keeps it such a "secret" is because most people don't have the slightest clue who in the world the Hollywood Foreign Press is that gives these awards. That's a little sending a congratulations gift to someone who was named "Man of the Year" and not realizing that...
Indeed, the dirty little secret about the Golden Globes is that they're the biggest flim-flam scam on the American public today. Okay, other than "Mitt Romney is a far-right conservative."
(And one of the main reasons that keeps it such a "secret" is because most people don't have the slightest clue who in the world the Hollywood Foreign Press is that gives these awards. That's a little sending a congratulations gift to someone who was named "Man of the Year" and not realizing that...
- 1/16/2012
- by Robert J. Elisberg
- Aol TV.
Tying Bennett Miller's "Moneyball" to the times has been a bit of a dubious game of connect the dots to me all season long. Much as I love the film (which walked away with two key prizes at last week's New York Film Critics Circle awards vote). I respect that there are universal truths therein, but I think thrusting the faux gravitas of zeitgeist onto it is a stretch. Nevertheless, I think the film does speak to a more specific and, for our purposes, applicable idea: awards season campaign spending. Reading through Patrick Goldstein's recent column at the Los Angeles Times...
- 12/5/2011
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
I thought this was gonna be about how different versions of individual movies appear in legitimate and illegitimate content streams. But, no, it’s even better: it’s about why the movies that are pirated the most are not the same ones that are rented the most. And it’s not why you think. Patrick Goldstein at 24 Frames: I'm just as obsessed with lists as everyone else, so it caught my eye the other day when Time put two lists up against each other--the most rented movies at Netflix vs. the most illegally downloaded movies from TorrentFreak. The comparison was eye-catching, since if you just compiled the top five entries from each list, as Time did, there was no overlap at all. Netflix's most rented movies of all time was led by "The Blind Side," with "Crash" at No. 2, "The Bucket List" at No. 3, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" at No.
- 11/8/2011
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Innovation in Hollywood isn't for the faint of heart. Meet Rich Ross, the outsider (from television, no less!) tugging Disney's movie studio into the 21st century. [Update: Now there's even more tugging, following halted production on one of the first big franchises in his stable, "The Lone Ranger."]
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nm2646465 autoRich Ross[/link]'s second summer as Disney's studio chief was starting to look like a dud. He had been in the top job for 19 months, and movies that he'd green-lighted, rather than inherited, were beginning to hit theaters. The first one, a teen dramedy called Prom, had fallen flat a few weeks back, but now it was prime time, the main event, the first punch of a one-two summer combo--Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides and then Cars 2--that would shape the studio's financial fate for the year. The Pirates 4 indicators were particularly discouraging.
.caption {color#:666;font-size:11px;} .caption img {padding-bottom:2px;} .float-left {margin-right:5px!important;} .clear {clear:both;color:#e6e6e6;font-size:.1em;} Photo by Greg Williams
nm2646465 autoRich Ross[/link]'s second summer as Disney's studio chief was starting to look like a dud. He had been in the top job for 19 months, and movies that he'd green-lighted, rather than inherited, were beginning to hit theaters. The first one, a teen dramedy called Prom, had fallen flat a few weeks back, but now it was prime time, the main event, the first punch of a one-two summer combo--Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides and then Cars 2--that would shape the studio's financial fate for the year. The Pirates 4 indicators were particularly discouraging.
- 8/16/2011
- by Jay Woodruff
- Fast Company
Getty Oprah Winfrey
Film academy president defends Oprah Winfrey’s Oscar; Jazz musicians sue Grammy group…
Academy Defends Oprah Winfrey’s Oscar: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Tom Sherak is firing back at those who have criticized the decision to give former talk show queen (and occasional actress) Oprah Winfrey an honorary Oscar. Winfrey is set to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award at the annual Governors Awards on Nov. 12. “Oprah has given and given and given,...
Film academy president defends Oprah Winfrey’s Oscar; Jazz musicians sue Grammy group…
Academy Defends Oprah Winfrey’s Oscar: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Tom Sherak is firing back at those who have criticized the decision to give former talk show queen (and occasional actress) Oprah Winfrey an honorary Oscar. Winfrey is set to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award at the annual Governors Awards on Nov. 12. “Oprah has given and given and given,...
- 8/4/2011
- by Lyneka Little
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Thank you, Los Angeles Times... Now those are 5 words I never thought my fingers would type. And yet the paper's Patrick Goldstein just wrote some very nice praise for Deadline in -- of all places -- Sunday Calendar. "Finke has been joined by a group of talented reporters from old-line trade publications like Variety and the Hollywood Reporter, including Mike Fleming and Nellie Andreeva, and Deadline has morphed into the industry's must-read digital bulletin board... For decades, Variety ruled the showbiz roost, using its own form of leverage to score scoops until Finke came along to upset the apple cart. She out-traded the trades and turned a tenuous operation into a serious business." As for what Goldstein writes about my own reporting, it's nonsense. As I told him, “One minute I read how I'm bullying everyone and the next minute you claim I'm going soft. I'll never make you people happy.
- 5/17/2011
- by NIKKI FINKE
- Deadline Hollywood
For those who missed coverage of last week's Santa Barbara International Film Festival producer's panel, Lynda.com has posted video clips (below). Producers on the panel moderated by the Lat's Patrick Goldstein include Darla K. Anderson of Toy Story 3, Iain Canning of The King’s Speech, Alix Madigan of Winter’s Bone,Todd Lieberman of The Fighter, Mike De Luca of The Social Network and Jamie Patricof of Blue Valentine. Both Blue Valentine and The King's Speech dealt with MPAA ratings issues; Patricof had 24 days to shoot Blue Valentine, while DeLuca had 90 for The Social Network; and The King's Speech, The Fighter and The Social Network all had to contend with real-life subjects in challenging ways. Pixar's Anderson and Winter's Bone's Madigan did double duty on ...
- 2/11/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
Aron Ralston is still telling that gruesome story … Oscar's leading ladies are all a little nuts … and perhaps we should all lighten up (or shut up) about the Golden Globes. Patrick Goldstein says that the media spends too much time talking about the Golden Globes. That he does so in 600 words, after his paper – including Goldstein himself, in another 850 words – spent a good deal of space dissecting the nominations the previous day is an irony not lost on him. (Or me.) He says it's mostly...
- 12/16/2010
- The Wrap
Disney studios chairman Rich Ross is campaigning heavily for a Best Picture win for "Toy Story 3." Could it happen? Not likely as long as the Oscars keep up the Best Animated Feature category. It should get nominated, though. And it won't lose for the reason that Patrick Goldstein at The Big Picture believes: But here’s the sad truth. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences doesn’t appreciate, much less understand, animated film. Everyone also points the finger at the actor’s branch of the academy, which represents by far the largest chunk of members — presumably members who, being…...
- 11/30/2010
- Spout
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: HollywoodNews.com’s Awards Season Roundup collects insights from around the Internet on films that are running in the Oscar race.
The big topic on the Oscar beat continues to be the naming of James Franco and Anne Hathaway as co-hosts of next year’s telecast. The L.A. Times goes over previous actors who stepped in as hosts. Awards Daily does a virtual spit take before getting in line by saying, “I think … what the AMPAS tells me to think. Shutting up, sir.”
While Jeff Wells goes so far as to say James Franco’s Oscar co-hosting gig “will probably kill his shot at being a Best Actor nominee for his performance in ‘127 Hours.’ … If he’s the co-host, fine. And he’s a Best Actor nominee, fine. But you can’t do both.”
Noah Forrest, meanwhile, has ideas on how to fix the Oscars.
Hollywoodnews.com: HollywoodNews.com’s Awards Season Roundup collects insights from around the Internet on films that are running in the Oscar race.
The big topic on the Oscar beat continues to be the naming of James Franco and Anne Hathaway as co-hosts of next year’s telecast. The L.A. Times goes over previous actors who stepped in as hosts. Awards Daily does a virtual spit take before getting in line by saying, “I think … what the AMPAS tells me to think. Shutting up, sir.”
While Jeff Wells goes so far as to say James Franco’s Oscar co-hosting gig “will probably kill his shot at being a Best Actor nominee for his performance in ‘127 Hours.’ … If he’s the co-host, fine. And he’s a Best Actor nominee, fine. But you can’t do both.”
Noah Forrest, meanwhile, has ideas on how to fix the Oscars.
- 11/30/2010
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
IndieWIRE and all the trades have listed the shortlisted documentaries submiitted for nomination for Best Documentary Oscar 2010. Unfortunately for me, I have not seen all the 15 shortlisted docs (30% of which are directed by women ♀). But I have seen a few and heard about many of the others. Of those that should have been on the list, personally the two I miss most are Cave of Forgotten Dreams by the ever vigorous German New Film survivor, Werner Herzog (see what Patrick Goldstein has to say about that!) and Sundance premiere, A Film Unfinished, the extraordinary testament to…...
- 11/22/2010
- Sydney's Buzz
60 Minutes: Lara Logan profiles the actor/producer Mark Wahlberg, who she says “has made a career of reinventing himself like no one else in show business,” just a few weeks before the release of “The Fighter,” a film that he produced and stars in as his childhood hero. He takes her back to Boston and opens up about his “reckless youth,” including an assault that he committed at the age of 16 that left a man blind and resulted in him serving 45 days in jail. That harrowing experience, he says, gave him the drive to make something more of his life — first as a rapper, then as a model, and now as an Oscar-nominated actor and producer who is on the brink of unveiling his “proudest achievement” yet.
Gold Derby: Tom O’Neil claims that certain members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association “absolutely love” the recent blockbuster thriller “Red” and...
Gold Derby: Tom O’Neil claims that certain members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association “absolutely love” the recent blockbuster thriller “Red” and...
- 11/22/2010
- by Mary Skawinski
- Scott Feinberg
The Weinstein Company have released a seductive new poster for the currently Nc-17 rated Blue Valentine, which is directed by Derek Cianfrance and stars Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel, John Doman, Maryann Plunkett
Synopsis: A complex portrait of a contemporary American marriage, “Blue Valentine” tells the story of David and Cindy, a couple who have been together for several years but who are at an impasse in their relationship. While Cindy has blossomed into a woman with opportunities and options, David is still the same person he was when they met, and is unable to accept either Cindy’s growth or his lack of it. Innovatively structured, the narrative unfolds in two distinct time frames, juxtaposing scenes of first love and youthful sexuality, with those of disenchantment and discord.
After receiving two very surprising ratings for their premiere awards contenders — The King’s Speech and Blue Valentine — The Weinstein Company has had enough.
Synopsis: A complex portrait of a contemporary American marriage, “Blue Valentine” tells the story of David and Cindy, a couple who have been together for several years but who are at an impasse in their relationship. While Cindy has blossomed into a woman with opportunities and options, David is still the same person he was when they met, and is unable to accept either Cindy’s growth or his lack of it. Innovatively structured, the narrative unfolds in two distinct time frames, juxtaposing scenes of first love and youthful sexuality, with those of disenchantment and discord.
After receiving two very surprising ratings for their premiere awards contenders — The King’s Speech and Blue Valentine — The Weinstein Company has had enough.
- 11/19/2010
- by Allan Ford
- Filmofilia
hollywoodnews.com: In response to the ratings given to two of its upcoming films, The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that it has engaged a formidable legal team to challenge the Nc-17 rating for ‘Blue Valentine’ and the R rating for ‘The King’S Speech’ given by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), according to TWC Co-Chair Harvey Weinstein.
“While we respect the MPAA, I think we can all agree that we are living with an outdated ratings system that gives torture porn, horror and ultraviolent films the same rating as films with so-called inappropriate language,” explains Weinstein.
In mounting the challenge, TWC has assembled a team of top attorneys including David Boies, who serves as legal advisor on both films, Bert Fields, who is overseeing the appeal for ‘The King’S Speech,’ and Alan R. Friedman, the lead attorney for ‘Blue Valentine.’
‘The King’S Speech’ drew an...
“While we respect the MPAA, I think we can all agree that we are living with an outdated ratings system that gives torture porn, horror and ultraviolent films the same rating as films with so-called inappropriate language,” explains Weinstein.
In mounting the challenge, TWC has assembled a team of top attorneys including David Boies, who serves as legal advisor on both films, Bert Fields, who is overseeing the appeal for ‘The King’S Speech,’ and Alan R. Friedman, the lead attorney for ‘Blue Valentine.’
‘The King’S Speech’ drew an...
- 11/18/2010
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
Filed under: Documentaries, Movie News, Cinematical
The premise of Tom Shadyac's latest film, 'I Am,' about a man who bangs his head and suddenly begins ridding himself of possessions and money, sounds perfectly in tune with the director's past works. But unlike 'Evan Almighty,' 'Patch Adams,' 'The Nutty Professor,' 'Liar Liar' and other high-concept comedies he's helmed, this one is a fairly serious first-person documentary. And it's based on his own spiritual awakening following a cycling accident and subsequent post-concussion recovery during which his "brain had lost the ability to filter things out."
In an interview with Patrick Goldstein at the L.A. Times blog The Big Picture, Shadyac talks candidly about his decision to sell his mansion three years ago and move into a trailer home, in addition to giving most of his money and possessions away. With 'I Am,...
The premise of Tom Shadyac's latest film, 'I Am,' about a man who bangs his head and suddenly begins ridding himself of possessions and money, sounds perfectly in tune with the director's past works. But unlike 'Evan Almighty,' 'Patch Adams,' 'The Nutty Professor,' 'Liar Liar' and other high-concept comedies he's helmed, this one is a fairly serious first-person documentary. And it's based on his own spiritual awakening following a cycling accident and subsequent post-concussion recovery during which his "brain had lost the ability to filter things out."
In an interview with Patrick Goldstein at the L.A. Times blog The Big Picture, Shadyac talks candidly about his decision to sell his mansion three years ago and move into a trailer home, in addition to giving most of his money and possessions away. With 'I Am,...
- 11/16/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Moviefone
Filed under: Documentaries, Movie News, Cinematical
The premise of Tom Shadyac's latest film, 'I Am,' about a man who bangs his head and suddenly begins ridding himself of possessions and money, sounds perfectly in tune with the director's past works. But unlike 'Evan Almighty,' 'Patch Adams,' 'The Nutty Professor,' 'Liar Liar' and other high-concept comedies he's helmed, this one is a fairly serious first-person documentary. And it's based on his own spiritual awakening following a cycling accident and subsequent post-concussion recovery during which his "brain had lost the ability to filter things out."
In an interview with Patrick Goldstein at the L.A. Times blog The Big Picture, Shadyac talks candidly about his decision to sell his mansion three years ago and move into a trailer home, in addition to giving most of his money and possessions away. With 'I Am,...
The premise of Tom Shadyac's latest film, 'I Am,' about a man who bangs his head and suddenly begins ridding himself of possessions and money, sounds perfectly in tune with the director's past works. But unlike 'Evan Almighty,' 'Patch Adams,' 'The Nutty Professor,' 'Liar Liar' and other high-concept comedies he's helmed, this one is a fairly serious first-person documentary. And it's based on his own spiritual awakening following a cycling accident and subsequent post-concussion recovery during which his "brain had lost the ability to filter things out."
In an interview with Patrick Goldstein at the L.A. Times blog The Big Picture, Shadyac talks candidly about his decision to sell his mansion three years ago and move into a trailer home, in addition to giving most of his money and possessions away. With 'I Am,...
- 11/16/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Cinematical
While the controversial gay joke was taken out of the trailers for Universal's Ron Howard-directed "The Dilemma," the studio has confirmed that it's staying in the movie, slated for release in January. Wrote Howard to "The Big Picture's" Patrick Goldstein: "I don't strip my films of everything that I might personally find inappropriate. Comedy or drama, I'm always trying to make choices that stir the audience in all kinds of ways. This Ronny Valentine character can be offensive and inappropriate at times and those traits are fundamental to his personality and the...
- 10/31/2010
- The Wrap
Filed under: Hot Topic
Turns out Hollywood can make money on more than just giant, effects-driven spectacles based on comic book characters and old TV shows. Studio-made prestige dramas like 'The Town' and 'The Social Network' -- the sort of Oscar-courting, grown-up fare that the studios used to produce routinely before the blockbuster era -- are doing well at the box office, too.
There's a caveat, of course: The movies have to be made on the cheap. In a recent column in the Los Angeles Times, industry pundit Patrick Goldstein observed that such movies only seem to make sense on the balance sheet when studios can make them for under $40 million. But it's hard for an industry built around the making and marketing of $200 million movies to make and sell what used to be considered the quirky, adult-minded fare best suited to smaller, fleeter independent distributors. Those outlets have all but gone out of business,...
Turns out Hollywood can make money on more than just giant, effects-driven spectacles based on comic book characters and old TV shows. Studio-made prestige dramas like 'The Town' and 'The Social Network' -- the sort of Oscar-courting, grown-up fare that the studios used to produce routinely before the blockbuster era -- are doing well at the box office, too.
There's a caveat, of course: The movies have to be made on the cheap. In a recent column in the Los Angeles Times, industry pundit Patrick Goldstein observed that such movies only seem to make sense on the balance sheet when studios can make them for under $40 million. But it's hard for an industry built around the making and marketing of $200 million movies to make and sell what used to be considered the quirky, adult-minded fare best suited to smaller, fleeter independent distributors. Those outlets have all but gone out of business,...
- 10/21/2010
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
The Odds: Steve Pond gathers reactions from members of the National Association of Theater Owners to the 10 upcoming films that were screened for the group during last week’s ShowEast conference in Orlando, and concludes that “the news is good for ‘The Fighter,’ ‘Tangled,’ and ‘Morning Glory,’ but not so much for ‘Due Date’ and ‘Fair Game.’” (The event “marked one of the first times anyone outside of Paramount” had seen “The Fighter,” and Pond’s sources reiterated what Scott has been indicating for weeks on his projection charts: the film’s strongest awards prospects are Christian Bale for best supporting actor and Melissa Leo for best supporting actress.)
USA Today: Anthony Breznican previews the reunion of actor Jeff Bridges with directors Joel Coen and Ethan Coen on “True Grit” 12 years after they collaborated on “The Big Lebowski” (1998). He reports that the Coen brothers told Bridges not to think about...
USA Today: Anthony Breznican previews the reunion of actor Jeff Bridges with directors Joel Coen and Ethan Coen on “True Grit” 12 years after they collaborated on “The Big Lebowski” (1998). He reports that the Coen brothers told Bridges not to think about...
- 10/19/2010
- by Scott Feinberg
- Scott Feinberg
Steve Pond injects a bit of common sense into a few theories floating around (my short answers below), despite his over-reliance on Patrick Goldstein’s opinion – Goldstein is smart about...
- 10/12/2010
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
The Playlist: Kevin Jagernauth reports that the organizers of the Academy Awards are exploring the possibility of moving up the 2012 ceremony to January as part of “a continuing effort to boost flagging viewership.” It would, however, face “considerable competition from the last weeks of the NFL season” and “the window to get out screeners” would become very condensed (which has prompted discussion about a secure Web site through which members could instantly access films online).
CNN: Larry King announces that he will devote the full hour of tonight’s “Larry King Live” to the new film “Conviction,” another huge coup for the folks at Fox Searchlight. Guests will include the film’s director Tony Goldwyn; stars Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, and Minnie Driver; and real-life inspirations Betty Anne Waters, Abra Rice, and Barry Scheck. Also appearing will be 12 individuals from across the country who were convicted of crimes they did not commit,...
CNN: Larry King announces that he will devote the full hour of tonight’s “Larry King Live” to the new film “Conviction,” another huge coup for the folks at Fox Searchlight. Guests will include the film’s director Tony Goldwyn; stars Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, and Minnie Driver; and real-life inspirations Betty Anne Waters, Abra Rice, and Barry Scheck. Also appearing will be 12 individuals from across the country who were convicted of crimes they did not commit,...
- 10/6/2010
- by Scott Feinberg
- Scott Feinberg
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: HollywoodNews.com’s Awards Season Roundup collects insights from around the Internet on films that are running in the Oscar race.
Pete Hammond talks to people who have seen Jodie Foster’s “The Beaver” starts the balling rolling on what could become a “Mel Gibson for Best Actor” campaign.
In response, Kris Tapley writes, “This … it’s just … crazy, right? Right?”
David Fincher will be on the cover of New York Magazine, interviewed by Mark Harris. Here’s a full transcript.
Meanwhile, “Social Network” screenwriter Aaron Sorkin opens up to W magazine.
I wonder if the recent win by “The Departed” hurt Ben Affleck’s chances of scoring a Best Picture nomination for “The Town?” Either way, Patrick Goldstein and Jeff Wells both say Pete Hammond is crazy for thinking the picture has a chance at a nomination.
Vanity Fair chats up Oliver Stone.
Hollywoodnews.com: HollywoodNews.com’s Awards Season Roundup collects insights from around the Internet on films that are running in the Oscar race.
Pete Hammond talks to people who have seen Jodie Foster’s “The Beaver” starts the balling rolling on what could become a “Mel Gibson for Best Actor” campaign.
In response, Kris Tapley writes, “This … it’s just … crazy, right? Right?”
David Fincher will be on the cover of New York Magazine, interviewed by Mark Harris. Here’s a full transcript.
Meanwhile, “Social Network” screenwriter Aaron Sorkin opens up to W magazine.
I wonder if the recent win by “The Departed” hurt Ben Affleck’s chances of scoring a Best Picture nomination for “The Town?” Either way, Patrick Goldstein and Jeff Wells both say Pete Hammond is crazy for thinking the picture has a chance at a nomination.
Vanity Fair chats up Oliver Stone.
- 9/22/2010
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
- 9/22/2010
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: HollywoodNews.com’s Awards Season Roundup collects insights from around the Internet on films that are running in the Oscar race.
The Hollywood Film Festival began announcing its winners today. “Toy Story 3,” “Iron Man 2” and “Inception” cinematographer Wally Pfister were recognized. More announcements are on the way. This year’s festival will be held Oct. 20-25 in Los Angeles.
Robert Redford’s “The Conspirator,” which I enjoyed (especially James McAvoy’s mature performance), was acquired by Roadside Attractions … but won’t enter this year’s Oscar race.
Awards Daily says “Never Let Me Go,” “Jack Goes Boating” and “The American” are out of Best Picture consideration … because their Bfca Critics Choice ratings aren’t high enough.
Patrick Goldstein of the L.A. Times talks to Sally Hawkins, who has three major festival films in play and would like to hang around for the Oscar race.
Hollywoodnews.com: HollywoodNews.com’s Awards Season Roundup collects insights from around the Internet on films that are running in the Oscar race.
The Hollywood Film Festival began announcing its winners today. “Toy Story 3,” “Iron Man 2” and “Inception” cinematographer Wally Pfister were recognized. More announcements are on the way. This year’s festival will be held Oct. 20-25 in Los Angeles.
Robert Redford’s “The Conspirator,” which I enjoyed (especially James McAvoy’s mature performance), was acquired by Roadside Attractions … but won’t enter this year’s Oscar race.
Awards Daily says “Never Let Me Go,” “Jack Goes Boating” and “The American” are out of Best Picture consideration … because their Bfca Critics Choice ratings aren’t high enough.
Patrick Goldstein of the L.A. Times talks to Sally Hawkins, who has three major festival films in play and would like to hang around for the Oscar race.
- 9/15/2010
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
The La Times’ Patrick Goldstein goes digging into the Conspirator – and why all of the lack of excitement and/or buzz around the film. His solution? Tie it in with...
- 9/10/2010
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
Friday’s question, about whether this has been the worst summer for movies ever, made me wonder if this summer has been a blip or if, perhaps, it’s a state of affairs we should expect to continue for the next several years. For Hollywood does operate on a years-long planning schedule, and the movies we’ll get next summer have already been put into motion. I’m not hopeful that next summer will be better when I read what Patrick Goldstein at The Big Picture has to say in a post gloomily titled “Is Hollywood settling into a prolonged recession of its own?”:...
- 9/6/2010
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
By Pete Hammond
HollywoodNews.com: Last February in the heart of the Academy campaign voting season I moderated a few post-screening Q&A sessions with “Avatar” director James Cameron and various crew members. As we spoke beforehand one night in the lobby of 20th Century Fox’s Zanuck Theatre Cameron was bemoaning the fact that Tim Burton’s “Alice In Wonderland” was going to swoop in on March 5 and take most of his flick’s 3D screens, Now since “Avatar” was already the biggest movie of all time worldwide – by a mile – and that it had been dominating these screens since mid December, it was interesting to hear Cameron cry poor predicting that without “Alice” in there “Avatar” likely could do another $200 to $300 million and eventually reach a global total of $3 billion. To add insult to injury “Alice” (which eventually earned over a billion around the world) was a 3D conversion job and not,...
HollywoodNews.com: Last February in the heart of the Academy campaign voting season I moderated a few post-screening Q&A sessions with “Avatar” director James Cameron and various crew members. As we spoke beforehand one night in the lobby of 20th Century Fox’s Zanuck Theatre Cameron was bemoaning the fact that Tim Burton’s “Alice In Wonderland” was going to swoop in on March 5 and take most of his flick’s 3D screens, Now since “Avatar” was already the biggest movie of all time worldwide – by a mile – and that it had been dominating these screens since mid December, it was interesting to hear Cameron cry poor predicting that without “Alice” in there “Avatar” likely could do another $200 to $300 million and eventually reach a global total of $3 billion. To add insult to injury “Alice” (which eventually earned over a billion around the world) was a 3D conversion job and not,...
- 8/30/2010
- by Pete Hammond
- Hollywoodnews.com
The organizers at the Toronto International Film Festival have put together one hell of an impressive line-up that has grown significantly since my first list announcing the Galas and Special Presentations, a pair of lists that have also grown since then.
The lists have grown to include Massy Tadjedin's Last Night starring Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes and Guillaume Canet, which will serve as the closing night film.
It's also grown to include Danny Boyle's 127 Hours starring James Franco. Boyle recently spoke about the film at Movie Con and told the audience there it may be a challenge to watch saying, "It's a lovely way of doing a new kind of filmmaking, really. We want it to be a challenge to you [the audience] to see if you can sit and watch it."
In the film Franco plays real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston who ended up trapped under a...
The lists have grown to include Massy Tadjedin's Last Night starring Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes and Guillaume Canet, which will serve as the closing night film.
It's also grown to include Danny Boyle's 127 Hours starring James Franco. Boyle recently spoke about the film at Movie Con and told the audience there it may be a challenge to watch saying, "It's a lovely way of doing a new kind of filmmaking, really. We want it to be a challenge to you [the audience] to see if you can sit and watch it."
In the film Franco plays real-life mountain climber Aron Ralston who ended up trapped under a...
- 8/17/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
From the God We're Getting Old Department comes word that the Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced plans to celebrated the 25th anniversary of the epochal teen film "The Breakfast Club" on Monday September 20 with a special screening of the film at New York City's Paris Theater, followed by cast Q & A with Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy. The screening is part of a 2-day retrospective of John Hughes' work commemorating the one year anniversary of the beloved writer/director's death of a heart attack at the age of 59. To moderate the Q & A in his absence, the Film Society recruited filmmaker Kevin Smith.
Why Smith? The "Chasing Amy" and "Cop Out" director told The Los Angeles Times' Patrick Goldstein back in 2008 that Hughes was his generation's J.D Salinger and added that "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be doing what I do.
Why Smith? The "Chasing Amy" and "Cop Out" director told The Los Angeles Times' Patrick Goldstein back in 2008 that Hughes was his generation's J.D Salinger and added that "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be doing what I do.
- 8/4/2010
- by Matt Singer
- ifc.com
Patrick Goldstein at the Los Angeles Times has an interesting piece today about Inception’s reception. (It’s just his perception, and preconceptions lead to misconceptions and self-deception.) “If you were a young moviegoer, you loved the visually arresting puzzle-box thriller,” he writes. “But the older you got, according to polling data, the more likely you were to detest its run ‘n’ gun, dream-within-a-dream complexity. ” He compares the film to earlier generation-separating movies like Breathless and Bonnie and Clyde. Multimedia scholar Henry Jenkins argues that familiarity with video games makes Inception easier to understand. That last point is quite interesting:...
- 8/3/2010
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
"The Swiss government declared renowned film director Roman Polanski a free man on Monday after rejecting a Us request to extradite him on a charge of having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl," report Bradley S Klapper and Frank Jordans of the AP. "The Swiss mostly blamed Us authorities for failing to provide confidential testimony about Polanski's sentencing procedure in 1977-1978. The Justice Ministry also said that national interests were taken into consideration in the stunning decision."
Let the summertime media frenzy begin.
Updates: The full statement to the press from the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police (Fdjp).
Waiting for @vrizov and @paperlung to wake up and let me know how Big Hollywood and their readers are taking today's big news. Mon Jul 12 13:39:41 via TweetDeck Filmbrain (Andrew G)
Filmbrain
More commentary: Patrick Goldstein (Los Angeles Times), David Poland, St VanAirsdale (Movieline) and Jeffrey Wells. And via the Atlantic Wire: Ann Althouse,...
Let the summertime media frenzy begin.
Updates: The full statement to the press from the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police (Fdjp).
Waiting for @vrizov and @paperlung to wake up and let me know how Big Hollywood and their readers are taking today's big news. Mon Jul 12 13:39:41 via TweetDeck Filmbrain (Andrew G)
Filmbrain
More commentary: Patrick Goldstein (Los Angeles Times), David Poland, St VanAirsdale (Movieline) and Jeffrey Wells. And via the Atlantic Wire: Ann Althouse,...
- 7/18/2010
- MUBI
Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Knight and Day "Blame me, don’t blame Tom Cruise. We did lots of focus groups for this film, and no one ever said there was a star problem. Never. Tom Cruise was not the issue. I take full responsibility. And if the movie ends up going to $100 million, I want full responsibility too." That’s Fox’s co-president of marketing Tony Sella referring to James Mangold‘s spy caper Knight and Day, as quoted in Patrick Goldstein‘s lengthy article in his Los Angeles Times blog "The Big Picture." According to Goldstein, after Knight and Day opened to disappointing figures on Wednesday, many in the media quickly blamed Tom Cruise for the film’s (under)performance. Within Hollywood circles, however, the blame fell on Fox co-chairman Tom Rothman, "who picked the movie’s title, its release date and micromanaged its marketing campaign, down to approving...
- 6/29/2010
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
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