Archive for April, 2010

Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel in the upcoming "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," about a wizard training a teenager in magic

There have been a number of films to come out the past few years that incorporate young leading actors, particularly teenagers (or at least roles written to be teenagers), such as Twilight (1 and 2), Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and the Harry Potter series. And what’s more, the trend is continuing with films like Kick-Ass, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the ongoing Twilight series, I Am Number Four, and I’m.Mortal. All of these films not only star young actors but appeal to the teenage demographic as well – naturally. I’m.Mortal, for instance, is a story about earth as a place where people never look older than 21, and so teenagers appear identical to their parents and others older than them.

The Hollywood Reporter claims that this is because studios are convinced that movies starring young actors can work in any genre. Plus, it helps support the idea that what are popular right now with audiences are fresh faces. The trick, they claim, is “casting astutely and marketing shrewdly;” finding young actors that can fit the parts – just like with adult roles – as well as prove marketable to whatever the film’s target audience is (teenage girls or teenage boys, say).

What all of this could mean is that, if these films prove profitable, you can expect to see more of them in the future.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Quick Opinion: I’m not at all surprised to see more movies being made that gear towards teens. The teenage demographic is one of the largest for Hollywood movies (perhaps second only to families), and that was since before the recession. It only makes good business sense that the industry focus on these two primary audience types during a time when they’re trying to make the safest business decisions they can. What’s good about this new attention to teen audiences is that with more teen-geared projects to make, studios can afford to be more daring with which projects they green light. The teen movie genre has opened up to include material that is created for more niche audiences, who would have otherwise probably been ignored.

Add all of this to the following facts:

• some audiences are in fact getting tired of seeing the same faces over and over again and so introducing new talent will potentially raise the interests of a lot of people.
• Young actors are cheap and willing to work, so not only are they cost-effective but you know you’re going to get their best efforts. Less money spent on the cast means more money can be spent on hiring better hands and directors to build the film, increasing the overall quality of the product while also assuring at least decent quality performances (in theory).

The release of Kick-Ass, for example, might spark hope in some of you that niche teenage audiences are finally getting the attention they deserve. However, I wouldn’t be fooled into thinking that this new attention will continue any longer than until the time when they stop acting as a crutch for the studios. Once the recession ends, whenever that may be, I predict that the teen genre will go right back to where it was before – focused on boy-meets-girl high school dramedies. In the end, though, what’s really important is the job market for young Hollywood actors. Congratulations to them!

Gossip magazines like this Photoplay have been around since the dawn of the film industry, but why are they so popular?

For as long as I can remember I have been enormously bewildered as to why so many people find gossip publications like The Inquirer, People Magazine, Star Magazine, and US Weekly so appealing. Beyond having a lack of interest in fashion I fail to recognize the purpose behind holding celebrities’ figures and overall looks under a microscope; praising one on a given week and criticizing them the next. And aside from all of this I also fall short of understanding the undying interest in celebrities’ social and romantic lives. This is not all to say that I consider celebrities uninteresting, quite the contrary, however the sex life of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt is not anywhere near the top million interests I have in the film industry and the people who are part of it.

But why is this? Why do so many people follow the romantic storylines of celebrities’ lives? All judgments aside, because for many the interest is indeed a guilty and harmless pleasure, the answers could lie in the history of the film industry – particularly the history of the “star system.” Read the rest of this entry »

Providing snack food is one way theaters ampted up their appeal in the 1930s, but how should they improve now?

Much has been talked about in recent months about the growing tensions between Hollywood studios and movie theaters, and no greater tension exists than the one over profits. The advent and popularity of 3-D technology has added to this issue, and nowhere is it being felt more than the pockets of patrons. The high prices of 3-D tickets is easy enough to understand, though many still fail to find them excusable, and it appears the “gimmick” is here to stay for at least the foreseeable future. With some audiences getting what they want with more movies being shown in 3-D and other audiences vexed about the higher ticket prices, what’s to be done? The answer may lie in film history. Read the rest of this entry »

As Robin Hood, Russell Crowe has some big shoes to fill. However his colleagues say he has the feet to fill them.

In a Variety article published yesterday, a number of people who actor Russell Crowe has worked with over the years offered their descriptions and opinions of the man we have come to know as Maximus, John Nash, Jim Braddock, and Ben Wade.

The ones who offered their words include acclaimed director Ron Howard, who worked with Crowe when directing both A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man, and Brian Grazer, producer of Crowe’s newest film Robin Hood.

The biggest compliment that Howard and director Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential) afforded was how Crowe is so meticulous regarding the details of his characters, and that in general he is an incredibly hard worker. Hanson even called him a man of “literally 1,000 questions,” a characteristic that he says is indicative of how much he cares about his roles. He went on to say that, “Russell has a reputation of being difficult, and what I speculate is that he’s difficult when he’s not trusting.” The issue of trust is brought because he suspects Crowe trusted him because he could answer most of his 1,000 questions.

It’s not an all too intensive or detailed article but is nevertheless interesting for anyone who is a fan of Russell Crowe or simply intrigued to know more about one of the bigger faces in Hollywood. A biography it is not, but plenty of information can be gotten from tidbits like these.

Robin Hood, directed by Ridley Scott, opens May 14th.

Aaron Johnson (left) and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (right) in the upcoming "Kick-Ass," opening April 16th

SuperHeroHype.com got a chance to talk to two of the stars of the upcoming comic-book movie Kick-Ass, Aaron Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad, Role Models).

The discussion talks about the two actors and their characters, Kick Ass and Red Mist, and their experiences from before the principle photography stage to now. Interestingly, when the two had read the finished script and signed on to the project only the first 3 editions of the “Kick-Ass” comic had been published (there are currently 5). Mintz-Plasse’s character the Red Mist wasn’t introduced until the 3rd issue.

The costumes were designed by the same woman (Sammy Sheldon) who worked on Hellboy, Stardust, V for Vendetta, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. However, the two actors did not undergo any sort of physical training for the film in order to look any more like superheros. Rather, another co-star of the film, Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl, received all the martial arts training from top-notch choreographers and specialists. Johnson and Mintz-Plasse were occasionally brought in to watch her go through her stunts, and were admittedly continually impressed.

The rest of the published discussion goes on to include various other details (including a juicy one at the end), most of which should prove to make an interesting read for those anticipating the film, which opens April 16th in theaters everywhere. For more information about the movie, we suggest visiting SuperHeroHype.com.

The online video rental giant Netflix has grown even stronger

After signing new, separate deals, Netflix will have access to more 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios‘ films. Under their new deals, Neflix will agree to wait 28 days after any of their films release on DVD to offer them through their website. Also, Universal agreed to license more of their films for streaming (online viewing) and Fox has agreed to a first-time license that will allow Netflix to stream certain Fox TV shows.

Netflix also made a similar 28 day delay deal for new releases with Warner Bros. earlier this year.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in October studios were wrestling with declining DVD sales as the rental market has been modestly growing and that some studios are considering introducing a DVD retail sales-only window for a few weeks. – Hollywood Reporter

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Quick Opinion: The 28 day delay deals certainly make sense for the studios, particularly 20th Century Fox because they own the distribution rights to James Cameron’s Avatar (which in case you’ve been living under a rock has become the most successful film in history). Having that 28 day window will allow the studio to grab all the money they can from those who don’t wish to wait 28 extra days to rent the movie – and you can bet that will be a lot of people. On the flip side, Netflix’s side of the deals only make sense because they’re getting something in return, and good enough for them it’s something that will actually improve their profits. With more streaming movies and wider selections the company will have an even firmer grasp on the video renting market. And, even though they have 28 day delays for the 3 biggest Hollywood studios, they don’t have to wait that long to make every new DVD available, as they can still provide newly released DVDs from everyone else.

What is discouraging about the last bit of news is this: With the rental market slowly rising and DVD sales somewhat declining, is there any reason to assume that this is not because of the current recession? With less money to play with, of course people are going to forgo spending $20+ on a new DVD and spend $5, $6 or $7 on a rental instead. It’s smart consumerism, especially if you’re not head over heals for a particular movie or haven’t seen it before (regardless of what some people might think there are some people who have yet to see Avatar, so why should studios expect people who haven’t seen it to spend $20+ to own it?). If the studios decide to make up for their losses with DVD sales by creating a sales-only window after releases there could possibly be some serious consequences. Ma and Pa video stores, already barely getting by (as the switch from VHS to DVD nearly wiped them out as it is), would no longer be able to provide their hottest commodity, which is new releases. Most of these stores at this point get by through offering great selections and immediate service (as opposed to Netflix’s 2 to 3 days wait period), but any more hits to this small market and I fear they’ll start disappearing for good. Creating a sales-only window might help studios beat the current lull in DVD sales, but the lull is only temporary and the window’s possible effects could be permanent. It would be a step towards getting rid of all video rental stores period instead of just the one rental giant Blockbuster, which looks like it will soon file for Chapter 11.

Short Take: Has eye candy galore, but is also intriguing

Director: Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk)

Screenwriters: Travis Beacham (Dog Days of Summer), Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (Aeon Flux)

Cast: Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator: Salvation), Liam Neeson (Batman Begins), Ralph Fiennes (The Reader), Jason Flemyng (Kick-Ass), Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace), Alexa Davalos (The Mist)

Length: 1h 58m

Synopsis: Cassiopeia (Polly Walker), Queen of Argos, has insulted the Gods by claiming that her daughter Andromeda’s (Davalos) beauty is even fairer than them. Hades (Fiennes), brother of Zeus (Neeson), uses this discretion to his advantage by condemning the whole city to death by way of the Kraken as punishment. The only way to keep the Kraken from destroying the whole city is by sacrificing Andromeda to the beast come an impending solar eclipse, however Perseus (Worthington), mortal son of Zeus, and a faction of soldiers make use of their time by searching for a way to kill the Kraken. Their journey is perilous and arduous, but the risk is worth the reward as they could potentially put an end to the Gods’ torments. Read the rest of this entry »

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth in the new Nicholas Sparks adaptation "The Last Song," opening this weekend

A very interesting article in the Village Voice, written by Eric Hynes, examines what he dubs the “Eight Tired Themes of Nicholas Sparks’ Love-Stories.” The topic of the article comes up of course due to this weekend’s release of the Miley Cyrus vehicle The Last Song, which is the last film based from Sparks’ novels. Such themes in Sparks’ work that Hynes identifies include a preference of setting (North Carolina), belief in God (Christian but not too Christian), and penchant for letter-writing (which Hynes claims connects Sparks’ works with the epistolary women’s novels of the 18th century). The entire article, though, is not so much a listing of Sparks’ consistencies in writing (things like the motifs listed above can be chalked up to being elements which help define Sparks as an auteur – to use a film term). Instead it functions to claim for an existence of formula, and that this formula does not coincide greatly with the melodramatic love stories of yesteryear (Douglas Sirk is brought up at one point).

The subject of melodrama is acknowledge by Hynes, but not really focused on. Sparks’ books are clearly melodramatic, and sell themselves for being as such. But, if one of Hynes’ main goals was to argue how Sparks’ developed dramatic formula differs from the famed and well-regarded Douglas Sirk films of yesteryear, then perhaps it would have been better had that subject been explored in greater detail. As it is, the claim is somewhat tucked away.

One major discrepancy that is proposed is that while the characters in Sirk’s films grapple with inner demons or desires, which are problems that are difficult to resolve, the characters in Sparks’ novels only battle with issues outside of their control (hurricanes, cancer, etc.). And perhaps because the conflicts are rooted in circumstance, the characters are “remarkably accepting of the cruelties of fate.” What’s really being pointed out here, I would argue, is that while Sirk’s melodramas sometimes dealt with outside influences like social roles and prejudices (All That Heaven Allows), those concerns were directly related to bigger issues like personal identity. Sparks’ books, and thus the movies based off them, do not delve deeply into overly-personal matters but instead incorporate characters written broadly enough so as to make them as identifiable as possible.

We encourage you to read the entirety of Hynes’ article, as it beyond what is discussed above it includes numerous interesting topics, subjects and tidbits. (We would also like to say that we recognize that Hynes’ wasn’t trying to offer an exhaustive examination, as the format of the article didn’t allow it to become a venue for a laborious argument. Do keep that in mind.)