Archive for the ‘MGM’ Category
One of the great things about living in Austin, in addition to the fact that everyone is impossibly nice and the Alamo Drafthouse is a mecca for film geeks, is that Ain’t it Cool News is headquartered here. And as anyone who reads AICN will know, Harry Knowles is regularly bringing promo screenings of films to share with his fellow Austinites.
These screenings aren’t for press, they’re for film junkies who are perfectly happy to wait in line an hour or two ahead of time to get a good seat to something they’re looking forward to. And this past Monday Harry held such a screening for MGM’s R-rated comedy Hot Tub Time Machine starring John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke. And if you’re anything like me, you were a little excited about seeing four guys time travel back to the 1980s, but you weren’t sure if it’d be a solid R-rated romp or another Dude, Where’s My Car comedy gimmick.
So what’s the verdict?
Better than expected, at least on this end. The trailers looked a little one note to me, as though the only comedy mineral it could mine was how wacky it was for four dudes from the present to loop back to their youthful prime and collide with a host of obvious ’80s pop staples like leg warmers and apocalyptic levels of hairspray. And sure, when they first make their trip across the space-time continuum, there’s a good deal of “Remember this?” chuckling going on, but it quickly moves past such base humor and into a surprisingly hearty comedy.
Continue reading Early Buzz: Does the ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ Work?
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Romance, MGM, Remakes and Sequels
Here’s an idea for a remake that’d be a great Valentine’s Day release some year in the future. And though it was likely a success back in 1940, it’s not so well known today that a redo would upset many people. In fact, there are probably some fans of the film, like myself, who would welcome an updated version so long as it’s not anywhere as bad as, say, Mr. Deeds. Featuring a great premise and room for lots of broad comedy, I recommend Hollywood to remake…
I Love You Again
The original film, directed by W.S. Van Dyke, reunites his Thin Man stars William Powell and Myrna Loy for their ninth (of 14) pairing together. Powell plays a con man who, at the start, awakens from a nine-year bout of amnesia. He finds that in all that time he’s become another person, grown rich, been married and has been known as something of a frugal weenie who doesn’t drink or take risks, romantically or otherwise. Now he’s back to conceiving scams, spending like he has it and indulging in alcohol, all changes that his wife (Loy) takes note of. And suddenly she’s not sure she wants that divorce she’s been planning.
Continue reading Pitch of the Day: ‘I Love You Again’ (Remake)
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Romance, MGM, Remakes and Sequels
Here’s an idea for a remake that’d be a great Valentine’s Day release some year in the future. And though it was likely a success back in 1940, it’s not so well known today that a redo would upset many people. In fact, there are probably some fans of the film, like myself, who would welcome an updated version so long as it’s not anywhere as bad as, say, Mr. Deeds. Featuring a great premise and room for lots of broad comedy, I recommend Hollywood to remake…
I Love You Again
The original film, directed by W.S. Van Dyke, reunites his Thin Man stars William Powell and Myrna Loy for their ninth (of 14) pairing together. Powell plays a con man who, at the start, awakens from a nine-year bout of amnesia. He finds that in all that time he’s become another person, grown rich, been married and has been known as something of a frugal weenie who doesn’t drink or take risks, romantically or otherwise. Now he’s back to conceiving scams, spending like he has it and indulging in alcohol, all changes that his wife (Loy) takes note of. And suddenly she’s not sure she wants that divorce she’s been planning.
Continue reading Pitch of the Day: ‘I Love You Again’ (Remake)
Filed under: Lionsgate Films, MGM, Paramount, Home Entertainment
It’s getting mighty crowded in the premium “video on demand” space. It feels like everyone and his brother wants to offer you movies to watch whenever you want — but there’s always a catch. Epix is an online service created as a joint venture by Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM. Epix features recent titles from the three studios in high definition before they’re released on DVD or Blu-ray, but only if you subscribe to a cable service that offers it. As I wrote last June, Epix needed to convince cable TV operators to bundle the service into an already-existing package and thus avoid a separate, additional monthly fee for the consumer.
Since then, Verizon’s FiOS and Cox Communications signed on the dotted line, and now Mashable reports that Mediacom Communications, the seventh-largest cable TV provider in the U.S., will become an additional outlet in April. The big boys in cable — Comcast and Time Warner Cable — are still missing, however, and the idea to make it free to the consumer hasn’t panned out so far. Verizon offers it as a premium channel for $9.99 per month. Like Mediacom, Cox will begin offering the service until April, so we’ll have to wait to see if it’s priced as a separate premium channel or bundled as part of a package
When I checked this morning, the newest offerings at Epix are My Bloody Valentine, The Pink Panther 2, New in Town, Defiance, and The Babysitter. Epix has a solid library and also has plans to offer a new dramatic series called Tough Trade with Sam Shepherd.
Does anyone currently subscribe to Epix? Do you like it? Is it worth the 10 bucks a month?
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Filed under: Action, Deals, MGM, RumorMonger, Daniel Craig
Update: Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood has gone on record to say that the talks Sam Mendes are currently in concern a consultancy status, not outright directing duties. The likely motive behind this involves the contract between MGM and Bond owners EON; were EON to officially hire a director, the troubled MGM would have to issue first payment or else EON could take their property to another studio, thus the consultant title for now.
I guess MGM wasn’t bluffing when they set out to dispel the rumors that the next James Bond film would be delayed due to the studio’s rather public financial woes. The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision blog is now indicating that American Beauty and Away We Go director Sam Mendes is in negotiations to bring the legendary spy to the big screen for a 23rd outing. THR’s assertion is that production will move forward on the untitled Bond film regardless of their current For Sale status as a studio.
Writing duties currently lay in the hands of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, both of whom were behind the word processor for Martin Campbell’s Casino Royale and Marc Forster’s Quantum of Solace, along with British screenwriter Peter Morgan, a man best-known for penning political dramas along the lines of The Queen and Frost/Nixon. Aside from Morgan and the now ‘in talks’ Sam Mendes, the rest of the core production team remains the same, with Daniel Craig of course reprising his role as the titular super spy.
Continue reading Sam Mendes to Direct the 23rd James Bond Film?
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, MGM, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, James Bond, Remakes and Sequels, Daniel Craig
UPDATED: MGM says the scripting process is still in progress & that Bond is not delayed.
It’s going to be a little longer before 007 steps in front of cameras again. According to Total Film (and passed along via MI6), Bond’s 23rd adventure has been delayed by MGM’s financial woes. After all, someone has to pay for all those new gadgets and when the home office is on the block, where do the new ones come from? While both Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench have hinted that the film will begin filming in late 2010, and will aim for a 2011 release, Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli hinted that the shooting schedule can only be decided once MGM settles its accounts. “Well, our timeline’s a little up in the air what with the situation at MGM, so we have to be flexible. We just don’t know enough about the situation to comment, but we know it’s uncertain.”
And if you’ve been sitting here since Peter Morgan took the screenwriting job last summer, dreaming of a script that’s at least a draft or two in, guess again. Wilson said it was far too early to start talking about where Bond will end up after he found his solace. “Well … we’ve hired the writers and we’ve been working with them but it’s just too early to say anything. You know, often at this stage, I find myself saying, ‘Oh, we’re gonna do this and that’, then six months from now you’ll say, ‘That isn’t in the film at all – you told me it was …’ I think we’re at the stage where a lot of ideas are floating around that sound very good, but whether they make the final cut, who knows?”
Filed under: Action, Deals, MGM, RumorMonger, Daniel Craig
I guess MGM wasn’t bluffing when they set out to dispel the rumors that the next James Bond film would be delayed due to the studio’s rather public financial woes. The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision blog is now indicating that American Beauty and Away We Go director Sam Mendes is in negotiations to bring the legendary spy to the big screen for a 23rd outing. THR’s assertion is that production will move forward on the untitled Bond film regardless of their current For Sale status as a studio.
Writing duties currently lay in the hands of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, both of whom were behind the word processor for Martin Campbell’s Casino Royale and Marc Forster’s Quantum of Solace, along with British screenwriter Peter Morgan, a man best-known for penning political dramas along the lines of The Queen and Frost/Nixon. Aside from Morgan and the now ‘in talks’ Sam Mendes, the rest of the core production team remains the same, with Daniel Craig of course reprising his role as the titular super spy.
Though no firm dates are mentioned, THR further notes that MGM is fast-tracking the production with a start date as early as June of this year. That last bit is actually the only item in their news break that’s bothersome. Sure, Mendes has never done a big-budget, high-spectacle action movie before (Jarhead comes closest and even that is hardly classifiable as an action movie), but he seems versatile enough to bring something unique to the project; whereas Quantum’s Marc Forster seemed an odd choice to begin with.
But what say you? Is Mendes a good choice to reverse the ills of Quantum of Solace? Or should MGM stick to someone with a proven blockbuster record?
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Mystery & Suspense, MGM, Scenes We Love
Between Monika and myself, The Thin Man gets plenty of love here at Cinematical, and a few years back Jeffrey included the classic film on a list of non-Christmas movies set during the holiday season. But this time of year I can’t help coming back to everyone’s favorite alcoholic detective couple, Nick and Nora Charles (played by William Powell and — swoon — Myrna Loy), and sharing my appreciation for their witty and drunken ways. If only one person is turned on to this movie with each posting about it, I feel my work at this blog is good for moviegoing-kind. And since tis the season for giving, I’m glad to be able to gift an introduction to or a memory of the first of their six film installments.
Ironically, Nick and Nora may not seem the most clearly Christmas-spirited folks (they tend to prefer an ’s’ at the end of their spirit), and in The Thin Man, Nora is even driven to admit she’ll kill the next person who wishes her a “Merry Christmas.” They’re not scrooges, though. Much of the film is set during the holiday, and this shows in the Charles’ activities. Nora is introduced carrying — and spilling — a stack of wrapped presents, while Nick is introduced sipping on a yuletide cocktail (okay, so his drinking likely has nothing to do with Christmas). There’s also hungover tree trimming, boozey holiday partying and some wonderful Christmas Eve banter about gift expectations.
Continue reading Scenes We Love: Christmas Morning with ‘The Thin Man’
Filed under: MGM, Fandom, Home Entertainment
Packed in a velvet box filled with three discs full of bonus features, a 20-page reproduction of the original program, a 40-page book about the production, eight art prints, and a CD sampler, one might accuse Warner Home Video of gilding the lily for their premier release of Gone With the Wind on Blu-ray. Amazingly, however, the set manages to seem like exactly the amount of excess that would be necessary to properly celebrate one of American cinema’s earliest masterpieces. Newly remastered in high definition and arriving with some eight hours of supplemental material, Gone With the Wind remains a classic by which all others should be judged, and now the same can be said of its home-entertainment iteration.
Initially I considered covering this film in Cinematical’s “Shelf Life” column, but watching just a few of the film’s opening scenes I knew it would be redundant to re-christen Gone With the Wind as amazing,and disingenuous to call it anything less. Vivien Leigh is at her fiercely unlikeable best as Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled, obstinate and irresistible oldest daughter of the Southern O’Hara family. Discovering that her intended husband Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) has committed himself to the decidedly less fiery Melanie (Olivia De Havilland), Scarlett is apoplectic, but she has little time to lament her loss when the Civil War begins.
Passing from one suitor to the next in some ritualistic pretense of domesticity, Scarlett commits herself only to her family’s financial success, only to realize that the money she earns comes at the price of the love of Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), a pragmatic and perfectly suited companion who falls head over heels for her firebrand charms.
Filed under: MGM, Fandom, Home Entertainment
Packed in a velvet box filled with three discs full of bonus features, a 20-page reproduction of the original program, a 40-page book about the production, eight art prints, and a CD sampler, one might accuse Warner Home Video of gilding the lily for their premier release of Gone With the Wind on Blu-ray. Amazingly, however, the set manages to seem like exactly the amount of excess that would be necessary to properly celebrate one of American cinema’s earliest masterpieces. Newly remastered in high definition and arriving with some eight hours of supplemental material, Gone With the Wind remains a classic by which all others should be judged, and now the same can be said of its home-entertainment iteration.
Initially I considered covering this film in Cinematical’s “Shelf Life” column, but watching just a few of the film’s opening scenes I knew it would be redundant to re-christen Gone With the Wind as amazing,and disingenuous to call it anything less. Vivien Leigh is at her fiercely unlikeable best as Scarlett O’Hara, the spoiled, obstinate and irresistible oldest daughter of the Southern O’Hara family. Discovering that her intended husband Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) has committed himself to the decidedly less fiery Melanie (Olivia De Havilland), Scarlett is apoplectic, but she has little time to lament her loss when the Civil War begins.
Passing from one suitor to the next in some ritualistic pretense of domesticity, Scarlett commits herself only to her family’s financial success, only to realize that the money she earns comes at the price of the love of Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), a pragmatic and perfectly suited companion who falls head over heels for her firebrand charms.
