Free Tip - Don't withhold critic screenings if your movie is actually GOOD!

With Quarantine now sitting at number 2 at the weekend box office, this would seem to be another case of a critic-proof genre picture that was not screened for critics and scored based on the aggressive and intense marketing. Fair enough, but waltz on over to Rotten Tomatoes. You'll notice that the film has a shockingly positive 65% fresh rating. Granted, it's only 26 reviews thus far, but that's still a surprisingly high average for A) a horror film and B) a film that wasn't screened for critics.

As more and more studios opt out of the pre-screening biz, especially for genre entries, we may have to redefine what it means when a film isn't screened for critics. In the olden days (like three years ago even), only the very worst movies were withheld from critical scorn, and it was a sign of the studio's absolute lack of faith in the quality of the film. For example, The Avengers sealed its bad-buzzed fate in August 1998 when it was hacked to bits (from 135 minutes to 89 minutes) and then withheld from critics. The film flopped hard and the reviews that did seep out were nothing short of ghastly.

Nowadays, studios almost routinely negate critics screenings from their marketing strategy, or often times set them up so late in the week that the reviews will appear after opening weekend for many print publications (Fox is allegedly doing this with Max Payne next weekend). In early 2006, Sony had a whole slate of crap (among others, The Benchwarmers, When A Stranger Calls) that they withheld from critics and most of the movies were financially successful anyway. Sometimes its because the movie is truly terrible, sometimes its because it's a movie that they know only appeals to a specific demographic so why bother (re - Tyler Perry movies). What used to be the film equivalent of the 'walk of shame' (you usually got worse press for your movie by not screening it than by screening it and getting bad reviews) is now brushed off with 'eh'.

So, in this world of instant word of mouth, it can perhaps be more harmful to have pre-screenings, but what about when your movie is, I dunno, good? Don't you want the red badge of critical approval in your corner on opening weekend? Sure horror films, sequels, and genre pictures are often critic proof, but positive notices can't possibly hurt a movie, right? There has been an odd trend over the last few years of withholding movies from critical scrutiny, movies that turn out to be pretty darn good after all. Surely these movies would have benefited from the box office dollars of the few film goers left who do read and trust critics?

So just why did Fox wait till two days before opening day to screen Live Free Or Die Hard, the Die Hard sequel that was riding a wave of bad buzz due to its PG-13 rating? That buzz turned around almost immediately once people, including myself, actually saw the film, and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive (it now sits at 81%). I remember writing and sending off my positive review and thinking I was going to be in the slim minority, only to check on Rotten Tomatoes and discover that everyone else liked it too, many more so than myself. The movie did $48.2 million in five days. Wouldn't it have done a little more if the opening was proceeded by a week or so of positive reviews and word of mouth?

Arguably the dumbest 'no screenings' movie was Snakes On A Plane. After spending goodness knows how much extra money to geek up the movie and try to market it as the mother of cult films, New Line Cinema withheld any and all screenings until the Thursday at 9pm national paid sneak. So the film went into opening weekend with the label of being a geek-cult film that was so goofily bad as to be entertaining. Needless to say, very few people showed up, since most people prefer not to pay for movies that they have been told is going to be lousy. So imagine the surprise when the film ended up with majority positive reviews (with 150 reviews total, it now sits at 70%).

While the film certainly had a glass ceiling due to its genre and quirkiness, I can't imagine that the movie would have not opened to more than $13.5 million with the benefit of positive reviews to go along with its geek trappings. I'm sure Roger Ebert would have adored this movie (although he was on medical leave at the time), and I know of several other critics who would have too.

Now Quarantine has made $14.2 million for a solid second place finish. I can't imagine having a bevy of positive reviews, many of the 'I'm shocked at how good it was' variety, would have done anything other than boost that number. I'll be seeing the movie this afternoon. Because of my wife's affection for any and all horror films, I really don't have a choice. But, because of the reviews, I am actually looking forward to it.

Scott Mendelson

Oh my God, they killed Gary (Oldman)!

Here is the just released trailer for the David Goyer supernatural thriller, The Unborn. As you'll notice, an oddly clean-shaven Gary Oldman plays a professor or religious figure of some kind. Spoiler-alert - Gary Oldman is killed. I have not seen the movie. I know very little about the movie. But you're just gonna have to trust me. If only one person dies in this film, it will be Gary Oldman. For whatever reason, Gary Oldman has arguably the highest proportional death rate of any above the title star working today, especially one who doesn't almost exclusively play villains (like, say, Danny Trejo). This is something I noticed a long time ago, and the pattern just kept bearing fruit. If Gary Oldman is in a movie, regardless of his role and the genre, he probably will die. Obviously, spoilers for Oldman pictures from here on out.

He has played a large number of historical figures in his career. Needless to say, they all got it in the end. He got his big break playing doomed punk rocker Sid Vicious in Sid And Nancy. As most of you know, Sid Vicious overdosed on various drugs (long after stabbing his girlfriend to death in a drug-fueled mania). He has also portrayed playwright Joe Orton (bludgeoned to death), Lee Harvey Oswald (shot in the chest), Count Dracula (stabbed in the heart then beheaded), Ludwig Von Beethoven (lead poisoning), and Pontius Pilate (natural causes). He has played many villains, all of whom met their theatrical demise. He was vanquished by heroes true in True Romance (shot in a scuffle), The Professional (blown up by grenades), Air Force One (tossed out of an airplane and hanged by his own parachute), The Fifth Element (blown up), Quest For Camelot (uh... don't remember), Lost In Space (the evil future version of Dr. Smith got tossed into a pit of doom or something), and Hannibal (fed to giant hogs).

Now that's an impressive body count for any actor. And, to be fair, Oldman occasionally allows himself to live, although I'm sure there is an alternate ending to The Contender where goodie-two-shoes liberal Joan Allen flings conservative muckracker Oldman off a roof in a blinding rainstorm. And I'm pretty sure he survived his guest appearance on Friends (the episode is not called 'The One Where Gary Oldman Dies'). Ironically, his character in The Scarlett Letter lives in the movie despite dying in the book. There are several items in his filmography that I know little about, so I can't vouch for every screen appearance. For the record, he also dies in State Of Grace, The Firm (1988), and Backwoods (arguably his most gratuitous death ever). He dies in the video game True Crime: Streets Of LA, although I can't vouch for his safety in Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault Spearhead.

And, you can be damn sure how the contract negotiations for Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban went down*. It certainly can't be a coincidence in terms of which of the many many characters that Oldman could have been picked for. And let's not forget the Batman series. As soon as Oldman was cast as Jim Gordon, I immediately assumed that at some point either Gordon would fake his death or a Scarecrow-hallucination would show Batman seeing Gordon die in front of him. Needless to say, I was pretty dead-on on the first guess. And I can't imagine that Oldman was too happy when he got to the end of act two in Nolan's screenplay.** And I'm still expecting him to bite the dust in part 3.

So yes, as we've demonstrated here today... It may be a big blockbuster movie where Oldman plays a villain, it may be a biopic where Oldman plays a doomed character of history. Or Oldman may just get in in the eyes for no good reason. But if Gary Oldman is starring in the supernatural thriller The Unborn, then Gary Oldman will be probably killed in the supernatural thriller The Unborn. I'd bet his life on it. For what it's worth, Oldman is lending his voice to a star-studded cartoon of A Christmas Carol that comes out next year. He plays Tiny Tim. Oh dear...

Scott Mendelson


*The Never-Before Revealed Contract Negotiations with Gary Oldman for Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban:

Gary Oldman: Well, this is a wonderful opportunity and a lovely role, but I'm afraid I just can't do it.

Alfonso Cuaron: What? Why the hell not? I mean, it's a major franchise, lots of money, and you've practically been blacklisted since that whole Contender squabble. What on Earth would make you turn this down?

Gary Oldman: Well, you see, I live at the end of this picture.

Alfonso Cuaron: Excuse me?

Gary Oldman: I'm still alive at the end. I'm Gary Oldman, I have to die!

Alfonso Cuaron: You're kidding right? You're going to turn down this role because you don't get killed?

Gary Oldman: I've already turned down this role because I don't get killed. Sorry, Alfie.

Alfonso Cuaron: (Sigh). Umm... ok, here's the thing. Can you keep a secret?

Gary Oldman: I guess...

Alfonso Cuaron: None of this 'I guess' business. Can you keep a secret or not? Because if you squeal than Rowling will have your family murdered, and probably mine just for sport! So, can you keep a secret?!

Gary Oldman: Well, yes. Yes I can.

(Alfonso reaches into his bag and pulls out a tattered manuscript. He places it in front of Oldman. Oldman reads the front page).

Gary Oldman: Harry Potter And The Order Of The... wait a minute, is this...?

Alfonso Curon: Page 708.

(Oldman turns to page 708 and scans the text. His eyes light up).

Gary Oldman: Well, dammit man, I'll do it!


** Never before-revealed private phone conversation between Gary Oldman and Chris Nolan, circa Feburary 2008.

Chris Nolan: So, I heard you just came out of the movie, what did you think?

Gary Oldman: You fucking tease. You had me so excited, and then you go and bring me back to life! What a cheat!

Chris Nolan: Oh come on, Gary, you didn't really think I was going to kill Commissioner Gordon, did you?

Gary Oldman: Well, you had me going, and then you pull the rug out. I mean, it doesn't even make any sense. Did he just improv faking his death? Did no one notice his body is gone after the crowd clears? Was there a fake autopsy? How the hell do you expect the audience... oh never mind. The point is, if you're not going to kill me, you shouldn't taunt me like that!

Chris Nolan: Come on, I was just having fun with you. It's our little in-joke, so it doesn't have to make sense.

Gary Oldman: Well, Chris, I did the second movie even though I didn't want to. Couldn't I just stay dead? Please?

Chris Nolan: For Pete's sake, you're Commissioner Gordon!! I can't kill Gordon! Why don't I just kill Batman?

Gary Oldman: Well, you killed Harvey Dent! You killed Commissioner Loeb! You killed Rachel Dawes! Hell, you kept The Joker alive. How's that working out for you, Chris? That was a brilliant call, wasn't it?

Chris Nolan: Oh fuck you, Gary! (hangs up phone)

"It's the Movie, stupid!" (Body Of Lies 'dissapoints' because it didn't look any good, not because of false star power)

With the would-be third place opening of Body Of Lies, you can expect a torrent of articles in the next few days about the death of the star vehicle, the breakdown of the star system, and how the studios should just stop paying such exuberant star salaries. Hell, Patrick Goldstein Of The LA Times preemptively wrote such an article last week, agreeing with John Horn's correct prediction that Beverly Hills Chihuahua would again take the weekend and that Body Of Lies would come in second place. Of course, Quarantine opened number one last night, but the top-three are tight enough to presume that the horror flick will experience more drop-off and front loading than the popular family film and the adult thriller.

The finest in political discourse (Batman debates The Penguin). Plus does Batman Returns predict the current political landscape?

Delightfully timely, as I presume it will always be.

On that note, you have the climactic Penguin speech from Batman Returns. In a weird way, it's story was way ahead of its time. The Penguins whole arc is that of a completely substance-less freak, using the strength of his biographical narrative, riding a wave of sympathy and naivety to political power. Pay attention to the speech The Penguin gives as Wayne and Alfred are preparing to mess with his sound system. It's absolute gibberish, full of political cliches and empty rhetoric. I've always found it hysterical.

Alas, right as the speech ends, about 35 seconds in, the maker of this clip decided to add his own obnoxious music. It was the only clip of this scene I could find.

Scott Mendelson

SNL does the VP debate (best sketch in ages)...

Yeah, yeah, Tina Fay does a kick-ass Palin (love the bit on those 3rd graders and the definition of marriage). But Jason Sudeikis's riff on Joe Biden is fantastic. He gets many of the best laughs with his running gagabout how much he loves McCain. And his response to how he's not really an insider is gut-bustingly terrific. Enjoy.

Scott Mendelson

Scott Mendelson is wrong (Rejoice accordingly!) Punisher War Zone gets an R.

Yay for common sense! In the 'happy to be wrong' category, The Punisher: War Zone has been given an R for 'persuasive strong brutal violence, language, and some drug use'. I had written previously about the rumors that Lionsgate was butchering the film and wanted a PG-13. 'Global Punisher Army' had contacted me and re-assured me that many of the rumors were just that, but now that it's official I can give Mr. Kevin Love credit accordingly. He were right and I was wrong to worry. Now, as for whether it will actually be a good movie well... one step at a time right?

Scott Mendelson

David Letterman draws blood on Palin.

David Letterman does the montage bit with the Palin debate. Cheap but entertaining (funnier than Countdown's similar, longer montage)

Scott Mendelson

Tyler Perry - Labor Union Buster? (Bad news for everyone)

I waited on this because I couldn't find any non gossip-sources (mainly Nikki Finke and Defamer), but the New Yorks Times published a blurb so I can now comment. Although, for the record, Finke's reporting on this subject seems to be rock-solid, so credit where credit is due.

Basically, it seems that self-made media titan Tyler Perry has fired four writers from the sitcom House Of Payne, because they were pressing too hard to unionize (negotiations had been going on since April). A fifth writer has quit in solidarity and the Writers Guild Of America has filed a claim of illegal and unfair labor practices with the NLRB.

The official claim is that the writers were fired due to issues with the quality of their work, although the timing of the firings is suspicious (House Of Payne has just become syndicated and there is a new Perry show premiering in January). Let me just say, as someone who somewhat enjoys Perry's movies and plays, House Of Payne is without a doubt one of the most poorly written sitcoms ever to air in my lifetime. I cannot imagine what their writing must have been like to have been unacceptable for this broad, cartoonish mishmash of unfunny comedy and failed social drama. But I digress...

It must be stated that Tyler Perry himself is a member of the DGA and every episode is covered under said union standards. Yet, despite Perry himself being covered as a member of the DGA and, as is the show and their respective actors through SAG (Perry directs every episode), the show is not unionized for the writers. For reasons unknown, House Of Payne is allegedly one of the few scripted shows not covered under the WGA.

“I feel like I was slapped in the face, like we were used” said writer and WGAW member Teri Brown-Jackson. “We were good enough to create over a hundred episodes, but now when it comes to reaping the benefits of the show being syndicated and having other spin-offs from it, he decides to let us go unless we accept a horrible offer.” [...]

The show’s head writer, Kellie Griffin, added, “A lot of people who fought for civil rights and social justice never really saw what eventually came out of their work. While I’d like to see something positive come out of this for us, if this fight helps future black writers get what they deserve, that’s a good thing.”

Whatever your issues with unions and labor negotiations may be, this seems like a classic case of 'rights for me, but not for thee'. Perry and his actors are covered under the union standards, covering fair wages, pensions, health benefits, and what not. The writers are not and some of them are claiming they are underpaid and lack health insurance as a result. Allegedly, the response from Perry and camp has been to the effect of 'there are very few opportunities for black writers in the industry, so cope or quit'. I (and I'm sure many many others) can only ask Tyler Perry to ask 'what would Jesus do?'.

This saddens me for any number of reasons. Tyler Perry is a true self-made rags to riches story. This is a guy who was homeless for a portion of his adult life and slowly went from cult playwright to mega entertainment mogul, all through the apparent power of talent, stubborn perseverance, luck, and, yes, faith. His opening this weekend of the new Tyler Perry Studios building outside Atlanta, Georgia should have been the crown jewel of his accomplishments, but now the WGA is asking guests to protest the party and not cross the picket line.

Although his work is often flawed, I admired him successfully targeting an under served audience and getting incredibly rich via his passion-plays. Furthermore, he often uses undervalued black actors (Angela Bassett, Irma P Hall, Alfre Woodard) and gives them a chance to shine (God willing, he will soon call up Tony Todd who would kick ass in a Tyler Perry melodrama). And, for all the hub-bub about his socially conservative Christian values, he seemed to stress the 'Veggie Tales' brand of Christianity, preaching compassion, forgiveness, and empathy over divisive social issues.

How this affects the current presidential race is unknown. Perry is a loud and proud Barack Obama supporter (he wants to make a movie about the Obama marriage) and now Obama is torn between showing support to a celebrity supporter with major pull in his communities, or showing support to the WGA and unions in general (Obama is a big supporter of the pro-Union Employee Free Choice Act). Perhaps Obama can be nuanced enough to keep Perry's support while publicly criticizing this specific circumstance, but that is the tightest of ropes to walk in the political world. He tried that earlier with his epic race-relations speech after the Jeremiah Wright story broke back in April, to mixed success.

I'm no expert on entertainment law and certainly not labor law, but there is certainly an easy (if naive) solution to this problem. Perry should either unionize his writing staff or resign from the guilds that he currently belongs to. Either way, this is seemingly sour behavior from a guy that a lot of us admired, regardless of whether we actually liked his work. Hopefully Perry will reverse his position and retain his standing as a role model to his communities and his peers.

Scott Mendelson

Review: Daredevil Director's Cut (2004)

First of all, complete and total thanks for Fox for including nearly every extra feature from all three Daredevil DVDs from the two previous releases (as far as I can tell, the only things missing are the theatrical cut commentary and the theatrical cut trivia track). Fox started out in the BluRay business by being the stingiest studio around, release bare bones discs of movies that had already received special edition standard def releases. It seems they've cleaned up their act of late, so good on them.

In light of this release, I am republishing, with some mild tinkering, my quasi-review that I wrote back in December 2004, upon first viewing the director's cut. Short version - the theatrical cut was the worst film of 2003, but the extended version was actually a pretty good comic book film, more character driven than the latter Spider-Man films and with better fight choreography than Nolan's Batman pictures (less realistic, but easier to follow). And with word rumbling around that Marvel may reboot the series (because that worked so well last time), allow me to step up and defend the underrated director's cut of a tragically compromised film.

Daredevil: Director's Cut
2004
133 minutes
Rated R

Despite being made by alleged fans of the original comic book (which is on an all-time quality high, thanks to Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker), the theatrical cut of Daredevil was an insult to fans of the character, and insult to fans of comics, and (most importantly) an insult to fans of art in general. Lacking a coherent story (which had no real middle act), awash in bad, forced dialogue, full of choppy ill-defined characters, loaded with 8 cuts-a-second un-watchable action scenes, and filled with mediocre and pointless special effects, Daredevil easily won my vote for the worst and most disappointing film of 2003.

However, the writer/director (Mark Steven Johnson) was quick to point out upon release that the film was not the one he intended. Chopped to 96 minutes from its original 130-minute length, and edited to secure a PG-13, the theatrical cut was a compromise from a few producers and the heads of 20^th Century Fox (as usual, Tom Rothman is the villain). Now that the director’s cut has been released on DVD, I can now state that as much as 80% of what went wrong about the original is completely the fault of studio executives and short sighted producers. Johnson, Afflick, Garner, and company actually made a pretty great film, but it is only now that we get to see it. Since I so bashed the original cut so viciously back in 2003, I should be first in line to tell of this cinematic redemption. Be forewarned, there will be modest spoilers, as much of this will be a comparison between the two versions.

The plot: The story, for those unfamiliar, concerns the daily struggles of Matt Murdock (Ben Afflick, pleasantly subdued and much stronger in the extended cut), blinded by a childhood accident but endowed with enhanced senses. Now a struggling Hell’s Kitchen attorney, he spends his nights dispensing vigilante ‘justice’ under the guise of the red-suited Daredevil. He is at a crossroads in his life, he is neither terribly successful as an attorney, nor as a force for good. Wilton Fisk – AKA- The Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan, in a truly creative bit of colorblind casting) is attempting to strengthen his hold in the organized crime of New York City, at the expense of his business partner, whose daughter (Jennifer Garner who is still much better on Alias) may just be the solution to Matt’s current life crisis. In the theatrical version, badly written, shoehorned romance and poor action ensued. In this version, toned down and more logical romance, character driven crime drama, and well-composed action ensues.

To wit:

The action scenes - reedited to their original, occasionally bloody R-rated form, are now good, quality, well-lit, non-choppy fight scenes. They flow wonderfully, have long, wide, and fluid shots, and have a complete sense of geography. The choppiness is a result of the MPAA demanded that there be less total violence in every major set piece, including important bits that held the fight scenes together. The opening bar fight is now a genuinely terrific action set piece. And most of the other fight scenes (with the exception of the still silly playground duel) now flow with a genuine sense of skill.

The special effects - some of the CGI is still lousy, and the makers admit this on the commentary. But now we know why. As is well known, the movie started as a $50 million street-level movie. After Spider-Man succeeded, Fox demanded that they take extra money and spend that money on more CGI 'flying' effects. Of course, giving someone extra money for new or fixed effects mere months before release will give you rushed, lousy effects, as Richard Lester and the Superman 2 crew can attest to.

The dialogue - Well, several lines are still bad, but due to the extended time, the dialogue flows and lines that seemed to be blunt and expository now simply lead into better, detailed conversations that establish moral quandaries and relationships between the characters.

The story - Well, at last, we now have a middle act, and 90% of the plot holes in the original have been filled. A new subplot, involving a murder trial, shows that Murdock IS a good lawyer, adds several terrific Matt Murdock character moments (including a fun interrogation of a dirty cop), and explains in detail the trail that leads the police to realize that Fisk is The Kingpin (the film’s finale made absolutely no sense in theatres).

The romantic subplot - What was once the major driving force is now merely a subplot, and the film works better for it. The director has deleted the sex scene (which was added at the behest of executives), which changes the entire dynamic of their relationship and his feelings towards her. Because Murdock now leaves her in the rain, Electra is NOT the great love of his life, but rather another missed opportunity and messed up life choice.

The little details - Well, we now know that the trial scene in the beginning IS a civil suit, which explains why Murdock is there in the first place (the original was shockingly inept in its knowledge of even Hollywood-ized law). We see more of Kingpin being 'the Kingpin'. And there is much more of Foggy (Jon Favreau) and Ben Urich (Joe Paltolianio). In fact, every character, with the exception of Electra (who now has one less scene) and Bullseye (he has an extra scene, but he was pretty much complete to begin with), is richer, fuller, and integral to the plot. The film is a full 2 hours, 7 minutes, and thus has lots of room to breathe between action scenes, which is exactly how an action film should be.

Granted, this does not put Daredevil in the realm of Batman Returns or Superman: The Movie, but it has turned what was previously my vote for worst film of 2003 into a solid B+ character-driven superhero drama. Heck, it makes more sense and has better, more rounded characters than the highly overrated Spider-Man 2 (where Aunt Mae is the only character whose actions really feel character-driven rather than plot-driven). I wrote this review, as unconventional of a format as it is, in a small way, as atonement. I spent many a comic monologue trashing the movie to my friends and family, so I should fess up at equal length when they in fact fix the problems that might not have been their fault to begin with.

THIS is the movie we should have seen back in Feb 03. It would have still opened to $40 million, but would not have plummeted 52% and become the lowest grossing movie ($101 million) ever to open to $40 million or more. It would have grossed $150 million and been a fan favorite, because it is good! The fact that executives at Fox preferred a bad, short movie to a good, long one defies logic, but of course, that's nothing new. Now I really want to see the fabled 135-minute cut of 1998’s The Avengers. If anyone has a bootleg (which is legal since it’s not for sale), do let me know. Either way, it is good to know that this particular Devil has finally been given his due.

Theatrical Cut: D
Director’s Cut: B+

Scott Mendelson

Perfect double bill with Mama Mia! (Repo: The Genetic Opera trailer)

I've forgotten how much I enjoy listening to Anthony Head sing. This trailer went up last week, so pardon my tardiness. Many thanks for Lionsgate for not hiding the fact that this is a full-on musical. Presenting the full trailer for Repo: The Genetic Opera:



I wrote about this a month ago, when discussing Lionsgate's 12-film blitz attack. Speaking of which, this weekend's release of Religious marks the halfway mark, so I'll be doing an update on that around Monday.

Granted, most films that try to become cult films flail about wildly, but this really looks like something special. Again, fans of Buffy The Vampire Slayer know full well that Giles can nail a note (why he was cut from Sweeeny Todd, I'll never know). The rest of the cast is the definition of neat: Broadway crooner Sarah Brightman, along with Paul Sorvino, Alexa Vega, Bill Mosley, and, yes, Paris Hilton. I always love a good musical, so if the songs and the singers measure up, I'll be able to forgive many a shortcoming. Say what you will, but Darren Lynn Bousman isn't cashing in his Saw capital for naught. This looks like the very definition of personal passion play (artistic, not religious, natch). It officially opens November 7th, how wide I do not know.

Scott Mendelson

The two best singers on Buffy 'Wish I Could Stay':