Director Andrew Stanton may have made one of the biggest flops in a generation, but you know what else he made? The Oscar-winning blockbuster Finding Nemo . Thus today’s big news from Mike Fleming at Deadline: “I’m told he’s now officially come aboard the Finding Nemo sequel and has a concept the studio loves. As for Disney coming through with another live-action project, I’m hearing that nothing is firm but that the studio is working on it. It looks like the studio is ready to give Stanton a mulligan on John Carter . Stanton, who has played a big role in many of Pixar’s hits going back to Toy Story , has an opportunity to put a big flop behind him.” Terrific! All’s well that ends in a $200 million write-down well. [ Deadline ]
On Monday a shockwave rippled through the delicate ecosystem that is the internet, the place where fans, critics, commenters, bloggers, and lurkers live and breathe (and mouth-breathe), over the first reviews of The Dark Knight Rises . The Bat- and Christopher Nolan-faithful rose in arms against the first critics who dared break the news that the comic book movie threequel was maybe not the best movie of all time. Threats were made . Nasty comments were flung . Entire websites were overrun and taken out in retribution. So I ask you, Bat-fans: What Would Batman Do ? The fanboy (for lack of a better word) frenzy felt more akin to Bane’s terrorist assault on Gotham City in TDKR than any heroic pursuit of justice Batman himself would exact. Either due to blind faith (like that of Bane’s fanatical, extremist followers), or the outrage of the disadvantaged 99% (i.e. fans who have to wait until Thursday night at midnight to see TDKR for themselves), the worst of the irate fandom lashed out, ill-informed and vicious, at the mere suggestion that what they love wasn’t good. But, wait. Most TDKR fans haven’t even seen TDKR yet! How do they know the movie even deserves their love, or the self-debasement of their own humanity that comes with issuing hateful vitriol at strangers? Realistically, I’m guessing it will fall into the mid-70s-to-low-80s on Rotten Tomatoes – and yes, I’ve actually seen the film. And when fans finally see it for themselves, let’s be real, they’re not all going to be thrilled. That’s not to say I don’t sympathize with the downer that is hearing that the thing you’ve been looking forward to since The Dark Knight in 2008 isn’t as great as it looks (and those snippets and glimpses of TDKR we’ve seen pre-release were pretty fantastic). I get it. I’ve been a Christian Bale fan for longer than most Batman followers knew who he was. Unless you’ve accepted Newsies into your life, Bat-fans, you don’t know what real love is. Sometimes real love, real fandom, is embracing a thing that you connect to in spite of its flaws. If you still love it warts and all, then doesn’t that mean all the more? But let’s look at why so many folks embraced the Nolan Batman series, whether or not they’d self-identify as Batman fanboys (or Nolanazis , if you will ), or are plain old laypersons who just enjoy the hell out of the movies: Because Nolan & Co. translated these comic book superhero tales into compelling storytelling for grown-ups. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight already well legitimized comic book stories in the film art world and, certainly, the marketplace; we now get nothing but superheroes every summer blockbuster season. At this point, validity as a film genre has already been established, albeit with mixed results (though that’s more the fault of studio filmmaking than the source material). So why wouldn’t fans demand better films be made from the properties they love? Perhaps after Friday, fans will turn to the messages in TDKR to guide them. In the wake of the first wave of negative reviews and mixed-positive reactions, the Bat-faithful looked a lot like the 99% in TDKR – and in TDKR , said 99% is not exactly celebrated as a righteous movement of disenfranchised people, but that’s a conversation for another day. In the film, the villainous Bane preys on the hopes and feelings of injustice among Gotham’s underprivileged class, rousing them into misguided unrest and mindless mob violence. Amidst the chaos, Batman espouses a message of individual heroism, quietly leading by example while minimizing the carnage. He insists that anyone can become Batman, anyone can become a hero. So use your words, Bat-fans – but make sure you’re using the right ones, and for the right reasons. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Also in Tuesday afternoon’s round-up of news briefs, the AMPAS, the organization behind the annual Oscar ceremony adds new members to its Board of Governors and re-elects others including Tom Hanks. New York’s Museum of Modern Art long-time senior film curator sets retirement; Entertainment One takes rights to Daniel Radcliffe rom-com; PJ Byrne joins Scorsese pic and a lead role for a Sundance breakout actor. Academy Adds Six to Board of Governors The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have elected six first-time governors to its board. New members include Dante Spinotti, representing the Cinematographers branch; Lisa Cholodenko, Directors branch; Dick Cook, Executives; John Knoll, Visual Effects; Scott Millan, Sound and Bill Condon, Writers. Reelected governors are Tom Hanks, Actors; Jim Bissell, Designers; Rob Epstein, Documentary; Mark Goldblatt, Film Editors; Leonard Engelman, Makeup and Hairstylists; Rob Friedman, Public Relations and Bill Kroyer; Short Films & Feature Animation. Fourteen of the Academy’s 15 branches are represented by three governors, who may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms. MoMA Senior Film Curator Set to Retire Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator in the Department of Film at The Museum of Modern Art, will retire on October 15, after a 44-year career at MoMA. Mr. Kardish joined the Museum as Curatorial Assistant in the Department of Film in 1968, and was promoted to Assistant Curator in 1971, Associate Curator in 1977, Curator in 1984, and Senior Curator in 1999. During his career at MoMA, he organized hundreds of film exhibitions and special screenings, established a number of important annual film series, and was responsible for coordinating more than 60 film exhibitions each year in the Museum’s Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters. Around the ‘net… Jeremy Renner to Possibly Replace Christian Bale in David O. Russell Pic The Bourne Legacy star is in negotiations to replace Bale in the untitled Sony Pictures drama formerly known as American Bullshit . The story revolves around a notorious financial con artist and his mistress & partner in crime who were forced to work with an ambitious FBI agent to nab on other con artists, mobsters and politicians, Variety reports . eOne Films Takes Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan’s The F Word Entertainment One picked up worldwide rights to the romantic comedy, starring Radcliffe and Kazan. The film is set to shoot this summer, THR reports . Universal Crosses $1B at the Overseas Box Office Universal Pictures International said will will hit the $1 billion milestone abroad today, making it the fastest it’s hit the mark since 2008. Snow White and the Huntsman ($220M), Battleship ($238M) and American Reunion ($177.4M) were among the big draws, Deadline reports . P.J. Byrne Joins The Wolf of Wall Street Byrne joins the Martin Scorsese-directed feature playing “Wigwam” Cohen, one of the gaggle of brokers who hang with the main Wolf, Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Deadline reports . Sundance Breakout Gina Rodriguez Takes Sleeping With Fishes Lead Rodriguez will play the lead in the indie by writer-director Nicole Gomez Fisher. She wil play a young woman who returns to her dysfunctional cross-cultural family after the death of her unfaithful husband. But her sister comes to her aid and a possible romance looms, THR reports .
Sacha Baron Cohen and Larry Charles’ The Dictator is indefensible and hilarious, an unruly thing that invites you to laugh at things you feel you shouldn’t. I’ve heard people — even some who like the picture — referring to The Dictator as offensive, and one of the guys sitting behind me at the screening laughed at some jokes and remained awkwardly mute during others. After one of these pauses — the vibrations of his uneasiness were traveling right through my seat back — I heard him say to his pal, “I’m not sure how I feel about this.” But as the end credits rolled he announced joyously, “That was great!” as if he’d endured an enema cleansing that made him feel a whole lot better afterward. Cohen has many gifts as a performer, and with The Dictator he reveals yet another one: He knows how to flush stuff right out of you. Cohen’s invented character du jour is a despot named General Admiral Haffaz Aladeen, ruler of the equally made-up North African state of Wadiya. Aladeen hates the West, hates Jews and regularly calls for the execution of anyone who undermines his authority, by, say, questioning his firm belief that nuclear missiles should be pointy and not rounded. His chief adviser is his Uncle Tamir (Ben Kingsley), who chafes under Aladeen’s authoritarian rule and seeks to undermine him. After Aladeen survives an assassination attempt, Tamir persuades him to go to New York to address the United Nations, which has been sticking its nose into his sordid doings. Once he gets to the city — he makes his grand entrance on the back of a decorated camel — he’s kidnapped, stripped of his protruding steel-wool beard and medal-and-scrambled-egg-encrusted uniform, and forced to live as an anonymous immigrant with a tenuous grasp of the English language. It’s at this point that he meets Zoey (Anna Faris), a peacenik mighty-mite who runs a whole-foods store and who, in her desire to be fair and generous to all peoples, attempts to understand his motivations as he spouts all sorts of racist and sexist invective. Meanwhile, Aladeen — who has adopted the name Alison Burgers, for reasons so ridiculous that they’re better left unexplained until you see the film — attempts to reclaim his stature with the help of scientist and Wadiyan exile Nadal (Jason Mantzoukas), who agrees to help him regain his mojo by bulking up in the nukes department. Cohen’s targets here include people who fly planes into buildings for religious reasons, people who hate Jews, and women with hair under their arms. As they used to say on Sesame Street , one of these things is not like the others, but those of you who like to cultivate fragrant jungles in your armpits will just have to deal. The satire in The Dictator is sharp but not exquisitely pointed, and the movie is better for it: It’s clear enough where Cohen’s sympathies lie — his jokes have a kind of sick buoyancy, instead of hammering you with their politics. Cohen’s humor is political, though in the end it may really only be humanitarian. At home in Wadiya, amongst his riches, his servants and his high-cost prostitutes (one of whom is Megan Fox, gamely playing herself), Aladeen likes to play video games, including a Wii-style amusement called “Munich Olympics.” I groaned, along with much of the audience, when he hit the “play” button, but there’s anger in the joke as well as audacity. Cohen doesn’t suffer bullies gladly, which makes a character like Aladeen an irresistible canvas for him. The Dictator is a written-and-rehearsed picture, unlike the extended prank Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan , and it’s probably the better film. As he did on that picture (and the more wayward Brüno ), Cohen again pairs with director Larry Charles, who’s acutely in tune with his rhythms. Charles — who has worked extensively in TV as a producer and/or writer on shows like Seinfeld , Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm , and who also directed the gloriously woolly 2003 Bob Dylan fever dream Masked and Anonymous — has by this point proved to be a great midwife for the ideas of oddball intellects. He gives some shape and heft even to Cohen’s silliest gags, like the one in which it’s explained that Aladeen amended the Wadiyan language so that “negative” and “positive” are the same word — this bit of silliness occasions a great little cameo for Aasif Mandvi as a doctor who’s trying to give a patient the result of his AIDS test. Add to that the pleasure of watching Cohen in all his long-legged, language-mangling glory: The Dictator works both as satire and as comedy, and the two don’t always mingle so easily. Cohen has a way of slinging lines that’s as casual as a cook flipping meat patties in a burger joint. “The police here are such fascists!” he says, aghast at the behavior of New York City cops, but he’s really just setting us up for the kicker: “And not in the good way!” By the time Aladeen has been in in New York for a while, his sartorial choices have been unduly influenced by crunchy-granola Zoey, to the point where he thinks nothing of wearing Crocs in public. When Nadal uses this footwear choice as evidence of how far Aladeen has fallen, the has-been tyrant can only agree: “Crocs,” he says dejectedly, “the universal symbol of men who have given up hope.” Cohen may be playing an autocrat, but he doesn’t let his ego run roughshod over his fellow actors. Anna Faris gets less screentime than Cohen does, but she stands up to him admirably, maybe because she’s willing to go just as far as he is for a laugh, even a painful one. As Zoey, a no-makeup martinet with firm ideas about equality among all peoples, she captures perfectly the tyrannical smugness of the tiny but powerful nation of white people known as Park Slope, Brooklyn. The Dictator , for all its liberal leanings, doesn’t let anyone off the hook, not even well-intentioned liberals. Cohen comes right out and says things that most of us, in polite conversation, wouldn’t dare. He knows it’s the impolite conversation that really gets things moving. Follow Stephanie Zacharek on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Also in Tuesday afternoon’s Biz Break, Exclusive Media takes rights to Zac Efron/Dennis Quaid starrer; Universal picks up rights to Kathryn Bigelow’s untitled bin Laden film; and with the initial craze over 3-D fading comes scrutiny over the medium. Weinsteins Take Rights to Cannes’ The Sapphires Starring comedian Chris Dowd and Deborah Mailman, The Sapphires will screen at the 65th Cannes Film Festival this Saturday. Wayne Blair directed the feature which is inspired by a true story about four young and talented Australian Aboriginal girls from a remote mission as they learn about love, friendship and war when their all girl group The Sapphires entertains the U.S. troops in Vietnam in 1968. 10 Win 39th Student Academy Awards The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 39th Annual Student Academy Awards were unveiled; the organization will host an awards ceremony June 9th. The winners in the Narrative category: Nani , Justin Tipping (American Film Institute); Narcocorrido , Ryan Prows (American Film Institute); Under , Mark Raso (Columbia University). Documentary: Dying Green , Ellen Tripler (American University); Hiro: A Story of Japanese Internment , Keiko Wright (NYU); Lost Country , Heather Burky (Art Inst. of Jacksonville). Animation: Eyrie , David Wolter (Calif. Institute of the Arts); The Jockstrap Raiders , Mark Nelson (UCLA); My Little Friend , Eric Prah (Ringling College of Art and Design). Alternative: The Reality Clock , Amanda Tasse (USC). Exclusive Media Nabs Rights to Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron Starrer At Any Price The film, directed by Chop Shop director Ramin Bahrani, also stars Kim Dickens and Heather Graham and revolves around rebellious Dean Whipple (Efron), who wants nothing more than to pursue his dream of becoming a professional race car driver, whilst trying to avoid the obligations to his family’s farming empire. But Dean’s ambitious father Henry (Quaid), whose manic pursuit of expansion has alienated the whole family, sets his sights on Dean’s succession. Around the ‘net… How 48 Hours at Large in L.A. Turned Fellini into a Maestro Fellini Black and White is set to explore what may have happened when the celebrated Italian film director Federico Fellini disappeared for 48 hours on his first visit to America, where he was due to attend the Oscar awards. Instead of a smooth trip to the 1957 ceremony, the man who was to make such classics as La Dolce Vita and 8½ almost missed the awards gala after going missing for two days somewhere in Los Angeles, The Guardian reports . Universal Takes International Rights to Kathryn Bigelow’s Untitled Bin Laden Film Universal took select international rights to the true story about the team that hunted and killed Osama bin Laden last year. Sony Pictures will release the film starring Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Mark Strong and Edgar Ramirez in the U.S., Deadline reports . 3-D Comes into Sharper Focus Despite the format’s troubles, 2011 marked another record year for 3-D, with total box office revenue from 3-D movies hitting $6.9 billion, an 18 percent jump, according to provisional figures from Screen Digest, THR reports .
Also in Tuesday afternoon’s Biz Break, Exclusive Media takes rights to Zac Efron/Dennis Quaid starrer; Universal picks up rights to Kathryn Bigelow’s untitled bin Laden film; and with the initial craze over 3-D fading comes scrutiny over the medium. Weinsteins Take Rights to Cannes’ The Sapphires Starring comedian Chris Dowd and Deborah Mailman, The Sapphires will screen at the 65th Cannes Film Festival this Saturday. Wayne Blair directed the feature which is inspired by a true story about four young and talented Australian Aboriginal girls from a remote mission as they learn about love, friendship and war when their all girl group The Sapphires entertains the U.S. troops in Vietnam in 1968. 10 Win 39th Student Academy Awards The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 39th Annual Student Academy Awards were unveiled; the organization will host an awards ceremony June 9th. The winners in the Narrative category: Nani , Justin Tipping (American Film Institute); Narcocorrido , Ryan Prows (American Film Institute); Under , Mark Raso (Columbia University). Documentary: Dying Green , Ellen Tripler (American University); Hiro: A Story of Japanese Internment , Keiko Wright (NYU); Lost Country , Heather Burky (Art Inst. of Jacksonville). Animation: Eyrie , David Wolter (Calif. Institute of the Arts); The Jockstrap Raiders , Mark Nelson (UCLA); My Little Friend , Eric Prah (Ringling College of Art and Design). Alternative: The Reality Clock , Amanda Tasse (USC). Exclusive Media Nabs Rights to Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron Starrer At Any Price The film, directed by Chop Shop director Ramin Bahrani, also stars Kim Dickens and Heather Graham and revolves around rebellious Dean Whipple (Efron), who wants nothing more than to pursue his dream of becoming a professional race car driver, whilst trying to avoid the obligations to his family’s farming empire. But Dean’s ambitious father Henry (Quaid), whose manic pursuit of expansion has alienated the whole family, sets his sights on Dean’s succession. Around the ‘net… How 48 Hours at Large in L.A. Turned Fellini into a Maestro Fellini Black and White is set to explore what may have happened when the celebrated Italian film director Federico Fellini disappeared for 48 hours on his first visit to America, where he was due to attend the Oscar awards. Instead of a smooth trip to the 1957 ceremony, the man who was to make such classics as La Dolce Vita and 8½ almost missed the awards gala after going missing for two days somewhere in Los Angeles, The Guardian reports . Universal Takes International Rights to Kathryn Bigelow’s Untitled Bin Laden Film Universal took select international rights to the true story about the team that hunted and killed Osama bin Laden last year. Sony Pictures will release the film starring Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Mark Strong and Edgar Ramirez in the U.S., Deadline reports . 3-D Comes into Sharper Focus Despite the format’s troubles, 2011 marked another record year for 3-D, with total box office revenue from 3-D movies hitting $6.9 billion, an 18 percent jump, according to provisional figures from Screen Digest, THR reports .
ActionFest , the annual all-action-movie film festival in Asheville, N.C., honored stunt coordinator Jack Gill this weekend with its Man of Action Award. Gill used the platform to discuss his ongoing campaign to add an Oscar category for stunt coordinators, explaining to a panel audience why it’s taken 21 years — and how he’s talking to the voting Academy members of a special committee, one by one — to convince them that stunt professionals are artists just like other film technicians honored on Hollywood’s biggest night. Speaking to Movieline after the panel, Gill (whose credits include The Dukes of Hazzard , Knight Rider , Con Air , Bad Boys II , Redbelt , and Fast Five ) cited several of the Academy’s concerns — including the impression that technology will eventually make stunt coordinators obsolete. “I think they’re such an old-school type company,” he said, “that they’ve gotten to where they’re now afraid if they put a stunt coordinator category and then five years down the line, digital effects take over everything, what do they now do with the stunt coordinator category?” But, Gill added, even digital milestones like Avatar rely heavily on stunt coordinators. “We’ve proven over the years that it’s really not going to go away.” During the panel, Gill also explained that he’s not asking for individual stunt men to get Oscars. The stunt coordinator is the artist who pulls off the dangerous fights, crashes and explosions and keeps everybody safe. And pretty much all the Best Picture nominees have a stunt coordinator, whether they’re action or drama films. As such, Gill has proposed one nominee per movie to an Academy leadership that votes on new categories every year in a closed meeting. The only way to change voters’ minds, he said, is to convince every single member that stunt coordinators deserve an award. And while you may be thinking, “Who needs a longer Oscars?”, Gill even offered to keep the stunt Oscars out of the main show and give them out during the red carpet pre-show. The Academy didn’t go for that. I suggested to Gill that stunts be included in the scientific and technical awards, which are pre-recorded and shown in a montage on Oscar night. “We tried that too,” Gill replied. “We tried to go in the technical awards and they also dumped us on that. They said if they were going to try and get us in, the scientific awards would be an option, but it just doesn’t seem to be happening. It’s the vote that’s the problem.” Indeed, Gill said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson has been amenable to discussions, as was Bruce Davis before her. It’s a matter of educating individual voters — a cause that, after more than two decades of effort, may yet find its tipping point in social media and such events like Actionfest, which itself plans to start a campaign to get stunt fans involved in the Oscar movement. Visit www.actionfest.com for more information in the near future. Follow Fred Topel on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
As cool-looking, dumb and deadly serious as you could desire, Immortals openly aims to be the heir to 300 , and succeeds in at least being a reasonable facsimile that hits many (too many) of the same testosterone-driven beats. The battles are just as imaginatively bloody, the abs painstakingly chiseled, the dialogue tin-eared, only this time around the stakes are not just the fate of the historic(esque) world, but of the divine one as well. There are gods in this film, beautiful, gold-cloaked ones who watch worriedly from atop Olympus as Greece is overrun by the armies of the wicked King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke), a man who wants nothing less than to bring about the destruction of their divine order, though they’re forbidden to interfere in the world of man for…oh, who knows why? Also, it’s in 3-D — dark, dark 3-D I’d avoid if given the option.
I wrote as much on Monday, but take it from AMPAS president Tom Sherak: “Someone the Academy hired to perform a very important function messed up, messed up badly. He’s done everything he can, but this is him. The Academy did what it needed to do by accepting his resignation when he offered it. Does it tarnish it? I hope not. If someone feels it does, then we will work really hard getting the tarnish off. It wasn’t us, it was someone who worked for us. It’s like anything else. I hope not. We are going to continue to do what we do, which is support the arts and the technology of arts, and we want to be as above the fray as we can be.” [ LAT ]
It’s been quite a day , and quite a week for Oscar watchers, but just imagine what Academy president Tom Sherak and Co. have been dealing with on the inside of the RatnerGate hullaballoo! They’re probably thanking their lucky stars for Oscar-winning uber-producer Brian Grazer, who has agreed to step in to patch together the 2012 Academy Award telecast. Hit the jump to read invisible sighs of relief between the lines of the AMPAS official press release.
