Archive for the ‘News’ Category

  • 04 Apr

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    MTV developing reality show based on “Catfish”

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    Over the past six months, Row Three has been home to one of the webs most extensive and quite frankly astounding discussions about the authenticity of the film Catfish. Since Mike Rot posted his article in October entitled “Catfish: Why the Hoax is Probably Fake”, the debate has gone back and forth between Row Three writers and a group of dedicated readers, racking up nearly seventy thousand words worth of research and discussion in the comments section (the equivalent, according to one reader, of about four to five hours worth of reading material). With that in mind, I thought the following piece of news would be of particular interest.

    According to Variety:

    “MTV and RelativityReal are developing a reality show based on the docu “Catfish”…[the] pilot is still in its early stages, but would likely focus on social network users who purposely misidentify themselves and the repercussions that occur. The creative team from “Catfish” would be involved in the project.”

    For those of you who don’t know, Catfish follows a New York photographer named Nev Schulman who enters into an online relationship with a girl from Michigan, only to find out that the girl has been less than truthful about certain elements of her life. The film was sold as a documentary, but since its release has faced consistent questions as to its authenticity (despite the fact the filmmakers have maintained that the events the film depicts are all true). In addition to provoking one of Row Three’s longest ongoing comment threads, the movie appeared on several of our end of year top ten lists (it would have made mine too, had I seen it before those lists were published).

    As for this reality show; I’m not a fan of reality TV at the best of times, so I was never going to look on this news in a particularly positive light. Given how much I liked the film, and considering that the above quote makes it seem like the similarities between the two projects are tangential at best, I sort of wish they weren’t associating Catfish with the program at all. With that said, I’ll throw any further commentary over to the real expects.

    Well Aquaman? Ms Curious? How do you feel about this latest development? Are you looking forward to the opportunity for additional debate, or do you find yourself wishing this news was just a hoax?

  • 01 Apr

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    Spielberg Donates His Oscar Statues to The March of Dimes. WFT!?

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    It’s well known that Sir Steven Spielberg is quite the philanthropist – particularly when children’s charities are concerned. Though who knew he would be willing to go this far with his giving nature? According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg will be donating his statues to The March of Dimes for them to “do whatever they please with them.”

    The Oscar statue is gold plated, but not solid gold, which makes their physical value not all that impressive. But as a collector’s item, the statues have been known to fetch prices in the six figure dollar spectrum. Though there is a stipulation by AMPAS that an Oscar Statuette may not be sold by a winner without offering to first sell it back to the Academy (for $1 US – which itself is a strange piece of trivia), there are no such rules that say a person can’t give them away.

    What makes this story even more fascinating (and frankly odd) are the reasons Spielberg has stated for his considerable donation. When asked by Hollywood Reporter columnist, Dennis Nedry, why doesn’t he simply donate money and keep the statues, Spielberg reportedly responded this way,

    “While I appreciate and even applaud healthy competition, it simply has no place in the art world. I try to make films that inspire and educate or hopefully at the very least, (*chuckles*) will entertain. In today’s world climate, there are simply too many issues and problems weighing us all down as a society and as a people. Watching the world almost literally implode on CNN each day while these statues catch my eye on a shelf directly above the TV makes me feel incredibly embarrassed. Not only as a person but as a member of the Hollywood community. It seems to me that these statues are a symbol of the Hollywood community’s glad handing of each other and celebrating our wealth and good fortune. I thought why not use this good fortune to do some real good in the world while at the same time sending a message that this kind of back slapping should be of really zero interest to today’s breed of film maker.”

    I think it’s weird that this is the way he would send this kind of message. Sure it’s a good thing to do for a great charity always in desperate need for support, but A) The March of Dimes is now going to have to put these on eBay or something to reap any kind of reward – seems like kind of a hassle. And B) as much as I think the Oscars are kind of a joke these days, I don’t think these statues necessarily only represent what Spielberg says they do. After all, these films are a collaborative effort and a best picture win is not just due to the producer (who receives the actual statue). And I don’t see anything wrong in rewarding excellence in any field – particularly if the film in question is something as positive of a message and educational as something like Schindler’s List. So I applaud Spielberg’s actions on some level, I’m not sure I agree with his motives. Thoughts?

  • 31 Mar

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    Is Pixar Finally Preparing to Jump a Giant Shark?

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    Having not yet seen Cars 2, it’s impossible to say unequivocally that the Pixar juggernaut is about to have its first failure; at least critically speaking. But if any of the marketing thus far is to be trusted, one might surmise that not only does Cars Part Deux look not very good, it looks downright embarrassingly terrible.

    It’s a pretty sure thing that the movie is going to make money. Cars is probably Pixar’s biggest money maker if you take into consideration merchandising. Kids seem to not be able to get enough and I’m sure they’re frothing at the mouth for more Lightning McQueen and his buddy Mater. The rest of us? Even the lovers of the original Cars, such as myself, are absolutely dreading the day and have thought the notion of a sequel a bad idea. It may end up working out; time will tell. But nonetheless, with the originality and creativity Pixar studios has shown us in the past, I can’t help but think a sequel to an already less-than-well-received feature seems at the very least to be lazy and unimaginative. A cash grab if you will. Still, knowing the kinds of things Pixar is capable of, we’ve yet to see them misstep and I still remain cautiously optimistic.

    I’ll see Cars 2 with interest and hopefulness but as the Pixar sequel train keeps chugging along (after Toys and Cars), word has been floating around for a while now that there would be a Monsters, Inc. sequel in store for us as well – albeit with a couple of new properties thrown in between. Today I learn (and it has been confirmed by Disney/Pixar) that this new Monsters will in fact be what has become known as a prequel: Monsters University. In which Mike and Sully meet up in college, initially hate each other and then learn to be friends. Being that Monsters, Inc. is still my personal favorite of the Pixar filmography, I feel it’s stands its own perfectly and shouldn’t be touched. To make the idea potentially even worse, nothing has been confirmed about John Goodman and Bill Crystal reprising the use of their voices for our two main protagonists. Remember Dumb and Dumberer?

    With other animation studios hot on the heels of the Pixar machine with films such as ILM’s Rango and Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon, showing huge profit margins as well dazzling visual and critical and audience adoration, it’s going to be the studio that has the highest levels of ingenuity, foresight and artfulness that comes out as the leader in today’s animation. With Pixar seemingly taking the easy way out with their next couple of ventures, I can’t help but wonder if the steam has finally been exhausted from this boiling kettle known as Pixar.

  • 22 Mar

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    Polanski’s “Carnage” Looms Ever Nearer

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    Everyone’s most anticipated film of the year seems to unanimously be Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. While I too can hardly stand the wait, it comes at a distant second to Polanski’s latest, destined to be a classic, Carnage starring Jodi Foster, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet. How anyone can not be absolutely stoked for that line-up is beyond me. The above image doesn’t give much but at least we see the cast in action.

    The film focuses on two couple coming together to talk about the behavior of their children. As the night wears on, things become quite heated. The story is based off of a Tony Award winning stage play by Yasmina Reza of which I personally know nothing about. Sounds a bit like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe? but is apparently a bit more on the humorous side. The film’s run time is about 105 minutes and all in real time. So 105 sequential minutes of our lives equals 105 sequential minutes of the character’s lives (kind of like “24″).

    Looks like probably a late 2011 release for this one and if Polanski is allowed in Canada there’s a good chance there will be a director Q&A at the very likely screening at TIFF. Which also means Andrew James will be in Toronto that week and shelling out whatever it takes to be there. Here are a couple of more photos…

     
     

  • 16 Mar

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    Invaders in MGMs “Red Dawn” remake to be digitally altered from Chinese to North Korean

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    Made in 1984 during the closing years of the Cold War, John Milius Red Dawn tells the story of a group of American high-school students engaged in geurilla warfare against an invading Soviet army. Two and a half decades later, Hollywood decided it was time for a remake, only this time with contemporary Chinese forces as the outside aggressor. Filmed in 2009, the completed movie has been in limbo for some time due to MGMs financial difficulties, with a release date tentatively scheduled for some point in late 2011. However, before any of us get to see the film, it seems like there’s a little bit more tweaking to be done. Specifically, after concerns arose that depicting a hostile China would damage the movies box office take in that highly profitable market, MGM have decided to digitally alter the film in order to change the invading forces from Chinese to North Korean.

    Financially and politically, this does seem like quite a smart move. In the time since the Red Dawn remake was conceived, China has become an increasingly important market for American films – in 2010 China was Hollywood’s fifth biggest non-domestic market, earning over $1.5 billion in revenue despite government restrictions that limit the number of non-Chinese releases to a mere twenty films. The Red Dawn remake has already received negative attention in China following script leaks, which lead the Chinese press to accuse the film of “demonizing” China. By comparison, North Korea is a closed economy that already has a radically anti-Western stance, and as such MGM has much less to lose by depicting them as an enemy.

    According to the Los Angeles Times, changes to the film will mostly include digitally altering Chinese flags and insignias to those of the North Korean military, as well as alterations to some dialogue and reshooting the opening scene.

    I’ve got to say, this doesn’t strike me as a particularly good indicator of the quality of the film. If the villains are so interchangeable, one can hardly imagine that the movie has any kind of political insight or serious depth. Not that we should have been expecting that anyway; let’s not forget that at the time of the originals release, the Guinness Book of World Records called it the most violent film ever made.

    The remake stars Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Isabel Lucas and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and was directed by Dan Bradley (who previously worked as a stunt coordinator on the Spider-Man and Bourne films).

  • 02 Mar

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    “The Cove” DVD sent to homes in Japanese fishing community

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    Winner of the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, The Cove is a bold, inflammatory and gripping real life story about a group of activists trying to expose the slaughter of thousands of dolphins that occurs each year in the Japanese fishing village of Taiji. Despite the attention the film received around the globe however, director Louis Psihoyos, who also founded the Oceanic Preservation Society, believes that many residents in Taiji are yet to see the film. So, with the help of anonymous activists within Taiji, Psihoyos will this week have DVD copies of the movie mailed to each home in the town of 3500 people, in a further attempt to spread the film’s message.

    Regardless of some concerns I had about the documentary’s clear one sidedness, The Cove was one of my favourite films of 2009 (you can read my review here). One of the most interesting aspects of the movie was how it attempted to dispel the supposed myth that dolphin hunting is a cultural practice within Japan, and how it purported that most everyday Japanese citizens were unaware of the slaughters that occur annually in fishing towns such Taiji. The film did have a limited release in Japanese theatres last year, but screenings were often disrupted by angry right wing protestors.

    Following the films win at the Academy Awards, some reports surfaced that the number of dolphins being killed in Taiji had been significantly reduced, but their validity was soon thrown into question. Clearly, this news story shows that Psihoyos and OPS have not given up the fight to bring an end to the dolphin slaughter and captivity industry in Japan. If you haven’t already seen The Cove, I’d highly recommend you do so; I’ve included the films trailer after the jump. In the mean time, share your thoughts on the film, and on Psihoyos’ latest stunt, in the comments section below.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 24 Feb

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    More Malick Already on the Way

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    The most anticipated film of the year, Terry Malick’s Tree of Life hasn’t even seen the dark of theaters yet and already we’re getting some bits from his next film; an as of yet untitled romance starring Rachel McAdams and Ben Affleck. Apparently shooting concluded last week and we’re looking forward to a 2012 release (yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it).

    If Affleck / McAdams doesn’t really turn your crank, here’s the rest of the cast which may excite you: Rachel Weisz, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem and Barry Pepper Nothing else really to report as details, per usual on a Malick film, are pretty much under wraps. Still, excitement ensues. Check out the first released (Days of Heaven-esque) image of the film below.

     

  • 24 Feb

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    Fourth Annual Row Three Oscar Live Blog!

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    Row Three Live Blogs the OscarsI must admit that I had nearly written off this year’s live blog but kudos to Jandy for spurring me on because honestly, we can’t break tradition now that we’re so close to our fifth year anniversary!

    Returning for another year, our liveblog will include lots of bitching, lots of cooing and probably a few drinks spilled over keyboards. The races don’t seem qutie as close as in years past but there’s always the cut-throat art direction category which could go to a film with hardcore gay porn connections. OK. So that’s a bit of a stretch but an amusing one. And heck, I can’t remember the last time I was more interested in the foreign language race than that of best picture.

    And then there’s the Hathaway/Franco factor. I’m sure that has nothing to do with my excitement (for once!) at seeing the show.

    So come on by on Sunday, Februay 27th to join in the fun. The show starts at 5PM pacific time but we’ll likely kick things off at 4:30PM or so with a call for shooters every time Andrew mentions how awesome Penelope Cruz looks.

    So mark your calendar, set your reminder, make your trip to the liquor store early, be sure to enter our Oscar Pool Contest and then tune into the fun!

  • 23 Feb

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    Ben Mendelsohn and Scoot McNairy to star opposite Brad Pitt in “Cogan’s Trade”

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    Ben Mendelsohn and Scoot McNairy are two actors who really only came to my attention in the past year. An Australian actor (represent!), Ben Mendelsohn has acted in numerous local films and television programs as well as the occasional bit part in Hollywood movies including Australia and Knowing. International cinephiles however would most likely know him from his recent turn as the mentally unstable criminal Andrew “Pope” Cody in David Michod’s critically acclaimed Animal Kingdom.

    McNairy, meanwhile, having previously been restricted to bit parts and TV roles, recently starred in the low budget sci-fi parable Monsters, a film that, in light of its surprising lack of special effects, relied largely on the strong performances of its leads.

    Ben Mendelsohn (right) in Animal Kingdom

    Scoot McNairy in Monsters

    In light of the impressive work both men turned in last year, it comes as welcome news that they have both been cast opposite Brad Pitt in Andrew Dominik’s upcoming crime film Cogan’s Trade According to Variety, McNairy and Mendelsohn will play “two young junkies who perpetrate a heist that takes place during a high-stakes poker game held under the protection of the mob.”

    Brad Pitt will play a mob enforcer who is investigating the robbery. The film will also mark the second time that Pitt and director Andrew Dominik have worked together, having previously collaborated on The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

    Mendelsohn also recently finished shooting Trespass with Nicholas Cage, and The Killer Elite with Robert DeNiro, while McNairy is reportedly in talks to take parts in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi film Prometheus and Timur Bekmambetov’s presidential…um…biopic, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. All in all, it looks like we’re going to be seeing a lot more of these two guys in the next couple for years. Are you as excited as I am?

  • 17 Feb

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    Darren Aronofsky’s “Noah” to be filled with booze and incest?

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    While Darren Aronofsky’s next film in theatres will be the blockbuster sequel to X-men Origins: Wolverine simply titled The Wolverine, it looks as though he’ll quickly be returning to more heady and controversial territory after that with Noah, a sci-fi influenced take on the biblical tale of Noah’s arc, one that according to Aronofsky will tackle material “censored out of our religious upbringing.”

    “I was stunned going back and realizing how dirty some of those stories are,” the director states. “They’re not PG in any way. They’re all about sleeping with your brother’s sister who gives you a child who you don’t know.”

    In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Aronofsky stated that he’s been interested in the story of Noah since seeing the documentary In Search of Noah’s Arc when he was a child, and that he has been working on a screenplay for the past six years.

    Aronofsky also said that he considers Noah to be “the first environmentalist”, as well as the “first person to plant vineyards, drink wine and get drunk”.

    Not exactly the sort of thing you hear about in church!

    Aronofsky plans to publish the story as a four part graphic novel first, which he will then use to try and secure financial backing from a studio.

    I’m actually quite excited for both of the director’s upcoming projects. Aronofksy’s five for five as far as I’m concerned (yes, I’m a The Fountain defender). Not to mention that the last time we saw a critically acclaimed arthouse director take on a big budget comic book franchise that had fallen into disrepair, the result was Batman Begins. Indeed, this career move is Nolan-esque in more ways than one; assuming The Wolverine is a success, it will prove Aronofksy is capable of working with the kind of big budget that an epic passion project like Noah will presumably require.

  • 17 Feb

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    Gondry to adapt mind-bending Philip K. Dick novel “Ubik”

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    Director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep) recently announced his intentions to bring acclaimed science fiction author Philip K. Dick’s 1969 novel “Ubik” to the big screen.

    Named by TIME magazine in 2003 as one of the Top 100 English language novels published since 1923, plans to adapt the book to film have existed since the mid seventies, with Dick even going so far as to pen his own version of a screenplay, which was eventually published under the title “Ubik: The Screenplay” in 1985, three years after the authors death.

    While I haven’t read the book, my first impression is that the material is a perfect fit for the esoteric, visually stylish Frenchman, especially after his latest film, The Green Hornet, proved to rather less than memorable. Dick’s writing has previously been adapted into films including Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and the upcoming The Adjustment Bureau, all of which can be noted for their existential themes and dreamlike subject matter. With that in mind, it’s not hard to imagine Gondry being able to craft something unique and appropriately surreal.

    Of course Gondry has several other projects currently in the works, so it may be sometime before we get to see his stab at this particular story. After the jump, check out a plot synopsis of “Ubik”; it sounds bizarre to say the least.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 17 Feb

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    Whoa! A Clockwork Blu [and box set]

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    So with my recent purchase of Paths of Glory on Criterion Blu-ray, I just completed putting together my own Kubrick Blu-ray box set. So of course one week later is this pretty sweet news: on May 31st, Warner Home Video is releasing a nine movie, ten disc, Blu-ray box set of Kubrick’s “best.” Including Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut. The set contains a new special two disc, Digibook version of A Clockwork Orange as well as the fact that this is the first time Barry Lyndon and Lolita will be released in the hi-def format!

    The A Clockwork Orange Special features include:

    • Commentary by Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman
    • Malcolm McDowell Looks Back: Malcolm McDowell reflects on his experience working with legendary director Stanley Kubrick on one of the seminal films of the 1970s (new)
    • Turning like Clockwork: the film’s ultra-violence and its cultural impact (new)
    • Still Tickin’: The Return of Clockwork Orange
    • Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making A Clockwork Orange
    • Theatrical Trailer
    • Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures: Kubrick’s career comes into sharp focus in this compelling documentary narrated by Tom Cruise. Fascinating footage glimpses Kubrick in his early years, at work on film sets and at home, augmented by candid commentary from collaborators, colleagues and family (new to Blu-ray)
    • O Lucky Malcolm!: Documentary about the life and career of actor Malcolm McDowell produced and directed by Jan Harlan The 40th Anniversary Edition will be packaged in a 40-page Blu-ray Book with rare photos, production notes and more.

    But the pictures below tell the real story. Wow. just… wow!

     

     
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