The beautiful and talented Angelina Jolie, lately more well-known perhaps for her real-life child adoptions splashed across the tabloids than for her acting roles, has nevertheless found time to squeeze in some acting work here and there. After a supporting appearance in last year's excellent The Good Shepherd, Jolie is next set to grace the silver screen in A Mighty Heart, a docudrama based on the life of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was assassinated in 2002. In the film, based on the book A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl by Mariane Pearl, Jolie plays Mariane, who launches an investigation of her own to find out the truth behind what happened.
Over the months we haven't heard much about this film except that it was, in fact, being made. But now, thanks to Joblo, we can bring you a poster for the film and some stills featuring Jolie, co-stars Dan Futterman as Daniel Pearl and Wil Patton as, one can assume, some sort of government type either helping or hindering Jolie's quest in the film. Daniel Pearl's death was a great tragedy and if this story is to be adapted for the big screen, it deserves a sensitive and well-done cinematic treatment. With the casting of Jolie, Patton and Futterman and under the direction of Michael Winterbottom, I feel this story is in good hands. A Mighty Heart premieres at the Cannes Film Festival in May followed by a platform release on June 22.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The new film from Wong Kar Wai is bound to disappoint some of the filmmaker's die-hard fans. Aside from the fact that it is Wong's first film in English and employs a number of Hollywood stars, the factors against My Blueberry Nights include the following: it wasn't shot by Wong's longtime collaborator Christopher Doyle; it doesn't feature at least a cameo from Tony Leung; it stars a young singer in her acting debut; and it has received the touch of death by being distributed by The Weinstein Co. Of course, there are multiple reasons to hope that it isn't a disappointment, let alone a failure, and we've just received a new one: the film's poster would look great on a fan's wall.
Never mind the beautiful design of the poster, which miraculously makes orange a color that I don't hate looking at. The main attraction is the prominence of Rachel Weisz, who is being capitalized on for her recent Oscar win. Six years after being left out of the main poster for Enemy at the Gates, the actress has apparently become a bigger attraction than Jude Law, her costar in that film. Though Law has a higher billing in the cast list at the bottom, he is given a much smaller role in visually representing the film. Meanwhile, Norah Jones, who is actually Blueberry's star, is barely seen in the lower left, where her image is also somewhat blurred. Rounding out the featured cast is Natalie Portman, seen driving a car. Actors Ed Harris, Tim Roth and David Strathairn are also represented, but only by name.
This poster may not be the final one-sheet for the film's release, especially since it features the words 'coming soon' rather than a release date (which is so far still unknown). It also seems to be a Canadian poster, because it includes the logo for Christal Films, which is distributing the film up north. We could very well see a totally different design from the Weinsteins. My Blueberry Nights will premiere in France in two weeks when it opens the Cannes Film Festival.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Do the trades really focus on business at the expense of show? Do people now get what you mean just by saying you're a "blogger?" And what killed Premiere dead -- and why isn't there a glossy, mass-market movie magazine in America? The Rocchi Review, our bi-weekly look at the online film community, is joined this week by Variety's Anne Thompson -- a veteran journalist, commentator and blogger -- and Anne and I talk about all the topics above, and much more. You can download the entire podcast right here -- and we hope you enjoy.Permalink | Email this | Comments
The focus of this week's Trailer Park is going to be a bit more self-indulgent than usual. If you've read previous installments, you've seen how I usually discuss several trailers that can be grouped together under a common theme. Sometimes, though, as I look at all the new previews no pattern emerges, so the trailers I'm focusing on this week are mentioned here purely because they appeal to me personally. It's "what looks good to me" week on Trailer Park.
Run Fatboy Run Based on the fact that Shaun of the Deadis one of the funniest films of all time, and Hot Fuzz, which I haven't had a chance to see yet, looks quite awesome as well, anything starring Simon Pegg will grab my attention. Pegg's co-star from Shaun, Dylan Moran, also shows up in this trailer. Unfortunately, this preview suffers from one of my pet peeves: it doesn't actually tell you what the film is about. According to the synopsis on IMDB, Pegg is training for a marathon to win back the woman he dumped ten years earlier. What we do get, however, is Pegg running around in a pair of shorts even shorter than the ones Lieutenant Jim Dangle wears on Reno 911. Who knew that was even possible? There's some pretty good physical comedy on display here; like when Pegg takes a dive down a flight of stairs (yes, grievous bodily harm can be hilarious in the proper setting) and the bit with him drinking the raw eggs made for a pretty good laugh. This film marks the feature directorial debut of Friends star David Scwhimmer from a script by Michael Ian Black. Here's Erik Davis's take on the trailer. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Obviously this is one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the summer, and I'm just as excited about it as anyone. I've read all of J.K. Rowling's Potter books, and like the films, each one has been better than the last. Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is loose once again, Dolores Umbridge, has been appointed Grand Inquisitor of Hogwarts School, and having read the books I couldn't help smiling when the trailer showed a bit of the Weasley twins laying mischievous waste to the school. The preview is flat out spectacular and I can't wait for this one. See for yourself:
Last night, I had a chance to see my first film of the Tribeca Film Festival, Charlie Bartlett. While I'll save plot details and the like for my review, I will point out that, in the film, Robert Downey Jr. plays a high school principal who's also a recovering alcoholic (though he's not doing so good with the whole "recovering" part). I point this out because it's been awhile since I've seen Downey Jr. on the big screen; I'm waiting to watch the majority of his recent roles on DVD. And though Charlie Bartlett certainly had a few flaws, I couldn't help but lose myself in Downey Jr.'s acting -- and all he's playing is a damn high school principal! Imagine how I'll feel when I see him as Iron Man. As I left the screening room last night, I couldn't help but thank God that this guy got clean. It is my opinion that he is one of the best actors working today, and to lose him to a drug would've been a damn shame.
That said, USA Today has a whole article on the Iron Man production which includes a brand new pic of Downey Jr. (as Tony Stark) forging the Iron Man suit. As you can see above, the dude looks pretty badass. Apart from the pic, the article delves into some of the training that Downey Jr. had to endure in order to get in shape for the role. Apparently, he's been lifting weights five days a week, while also practicing a good amount of martial arts. Says Downey Jr. about the role: "I'm more diligent than I used to be. I want to show Jon he was right to have faith in me. Whatever questions might have arisen about my life weren't issues with him." Though substance abuse is fairly common among actors and actresses, it has to be tough to play a role that's so close to the man you were (or are); to share your personal demons with the world, instead of just some therapist. I applaud Downey Jr. for taking the risk, and I cannot wait to see him play Tony Stark. Iron Man will hit theaters next May.
When we first brought you pics from the set of Cabin Fever 2, it was kind of hard to make out what was going on. We knew some sh*t was going down at a prom, but we were unable to clearly see with our own eyes what sort of madness director Ti West was cooking up for the sequel. As you're probably already aware, the first Cabin Fever featured the directorial debut of Eli Roth. For practically no money (something like $1.5 million), Roth managed to scrape together a pretty decent horror flick; it went on to do good business at the box office, earned Roth a gig helming Hostel and the rest is history. Now, almost four years later, a second Cabin Fever is heading our way -- but this time, Roth handed over the reigns to West and newbie scribe Joshua Malkin.
Like Dread Central before, it appears Fangoria was at the same set visit, on the same day, while they were shooting the same scene. However, Fangoria has some much better images of the action taking place -- pics that include a group of prom patrons sprawled out on the floor, while a bucket full of red stuff is thrown all over them. God only knows what's going on in this scene (the folks from Fangoria aren't allowed to say), but I think it's safe to say no one is getting lucky after this dance. As far as plot goes, we're being told the flesh-eating virus from the first film returns; only this time, it decides to throw on a suit and party it up with a bunch of unsuspecting teens. Says West about the sequel: "Everything is quite gross and pushes the limits as far as they can go at times. It will be interesting to see what people think, because it's nothing like the first." Yum, looks delicious.
According to Adweek, Warner Independent Pictures used Spot Runner, a web-based service for local TV ad buys, to promote the release of 'The Painted Veil' in late December. Warner ran the spots in 18 markets where the film was playing, and tagged each commercial with the names of the actual theaters where the film could be seen. Preliminary research from the studio has shown greater ticket sales in some markets where the ads have played, although the overall costs of the ad buy were comparable to traditional buys. All in all, the move is reminiscent of the voice-tagged local commercials indie distributors used nearly 40 years ago to drive audiences to their low budget "sword-and-sandal" pictures.
There is one point that needs to be closely scrutinized, however: The article notes that Warner had 36 custom spots developed. While the costs of tagging each ad and the related production expenses are probably low, it would be interesting to see what this campaign's overall ROI was when compared to a more traditional TV ad campaign.
In just over two weeks of release, 'The Painted Veil' has grossed $720,000 on 72 screens, according to Box Office Mojo.
Miramax is getting serious about forging marketing campaigns and promotional partnerships with other Walt Disney Company divisions, according to Variety.
To kick off the move, Miramax Executive V.P. of Business Affairs Michael Luisi has been given an expanded role that will put him in charge of developing partnerships with Disney divisions such as ESPN, ABC and Hyperion. While Miramax has conducted these sorts of promotional activities in the recent past, the move signifies an attempt to systematize these activities, to improve Miramax’s brand recognition, and to better integrate Miramax into the company as a whole. The move also mirrors Disney’s move towards greater divisional symbiosis. The best example has been their recent success with the ‘Pirates’ franchise, which began as a theme park ride and has led to increased park attendance and merchandise sales.
Miramax has grossed a little over $17 million year to date on six releases, down drastically from the division’s peak of $427 million in 2001. The sharp decline in revenue reflects the division’s shift in focus from larger budgeted tentpole productions under the Weinsteins to a mix of lower-budgeted independent fare and foreign acquisitions.
With the burgeoning growth on India’s online population, Bollywood movie marketers are ramping up their online marketing efforts, according to The Hindu Business Line.
According to the article, over 38.5 million Indians have Internet access, and although broadband penetration is in its early stages, over 1.5 million homes already have high-speed access. There are also an estimated 20 million Indians living abroad who are interested in keeping up with the latest Bollywood productions.
Indian film marketers have noted that young, tech-oriented professionals with disposable income are highly likely to use the web to discover movies to see in theaters:
Says Rajnish R., Head - Digital Marketing Revenue and Strategic Business, MSN India: "People who use the Internet are twice likely to go watch movies in multiplexes (than those who do not). Indians abroad go online to read movie reviews before they book a ticket or buy the DVD. So, the adoption of online media is attractive to new-age producers, who themselves are Net-savvy."
Online promotions on large portals such as MSN India typically cost between 800,000 and one million rupees ($17-25K dollars). Promotions on Indiafm, Bollywood's #1 movie portal vary from 50,000 to 1.2 million rupees ($1100 -$26,100) depending on the targeted regions and audience.
Individual film sites are also become more common, and traffic has been booming – Hungama, a top online promotions company for Bollywood, noted that some of their larger sites attract up to 12 million page views a month. Online interactive contests are also becoming popular, and are now sporting major corporate sponsors.
The migration to more sophisticated online marketing methods mirror’s Bollywood’s increasing marketing savvy in other channels. Recent calls for more integrated marketing have increased lately, even culminating in top talent calling for the emulation of Hollywood-style marketing.
The Indian film industry sold more than 3.8 billion tickets in 2005, grossing over $1.14 billion dollars, according to a recent article on Bloomberg. By comparison, Hollywood grossed nearly $9 billion dollars during the same calendar year.
News Corp.'s Fox Filmed Entertainment today announced plans to target the Christian audience with the formal launch of the FoxFaith Home Enertainment Division.
FoxFaith will acquire up to twelve films a year, with a minimum of six theatrical releases a year under partnerships with AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas. The label will target evangelical Christians, a group whose beliefs have traditionally been at odds with secular Hollywood fare (including some of the racier content seen on Fox's broadcast network). The label has also partnered with the Dove Foundation, a non-profit that offers seals of approval to qualifying films free of offensive content.
Productions will be based on bestselling Christian fiction and will have production budgets under $5 million. Recent updates indicate they will be acquisitions, and not studio productions Additionally, the films will receive marketing support nearly equal to the production budgets, a significant figure for marketing low-budget films. This will complement Fox’s already hefty grassroots database of 90,000 congregations and 14 million evangelical households.
As we reported here over a year ago, FoxFaith has been making major inroads into the Christian marketplace in the DVD arena. Since the launch of the FoxFaith initiative last June, Fox has shipped over 30 million faith-based DVDs. As the DVD distributor for ‘Passion of the Christ,’ fox has sold an impressive 15 million units and established a considerable competitive advantage in marketing to the Christian community.
Another interesting element to this announcement: As opposed to the rest of Hollywood’s alignment of their theatrical and home video divisions along genre lines (Foreign, American Independent, Horror, etc.), Fox is throwing that paradigm out the window by aligning them along demographic lines, first with Fox Atomic, and now FoxFaith. It’s doesn't seem like much of a stretch to imagine a FoxAsian or FoxWomen specialty unit. After all, this model has been put to the test via specialty cable networks for several decades, but the web has given the model even more promise. With the lower cost of marketing to a known cohort, the centralization of these communities in online social networks, and the ease of building up reusable grassroots databases over time, Fox may have discovered a winning formula for combating the fracturing of the mass audience. The Weinsteins Company has placed a bet on this model as well with Our Stories Films, a specialty studio catering to the African-American audience.
The beautiful and talented Angelina Jolie, lately more well-known perhaps for her real-life child adoptions splashed across the tabloids than for her acting roles, has nevertheless found time to squeeze in some acting work here and there. After a supporting appearance in last year's excellent The Good Shepherd, Jolie is next set to grace the silver screen in A Mighty Heart, a docudrama based on the life of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, who was assassinated in 2002. In the film, based on the book A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl by Mariane Pearl, Jolie plays Mariane, who launches an investigation of her own to find out the truth behind what happened. 
Last night, I had a chance to see my first film of the Tribeca Film Festival, 
When we first brought you pics 
According to 
