IRENE CAUSED CATASTROPHIC BOX OFFICE WEEKEND?
Okay, so over a thousand theatres shut down, but in its third week “The Help” still managed to rake in $14.3 million.
Enough people who wanted to see “The Help” saw “The Help.”
How did that happen?
MTV’S VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS WERE ON LAST NIGHT
Why am I just hearing about this now? It is a much-anticipated ritual in the Nolte household that we enjoy ignoring this obnoxious awards telecast every year, but how are we supposed to enjoy not-watching if we have no idea it’s on?
Get your publicity act together, MTV. Thanks for nothing.
MPAA RELEASES ‘FACT SHEET’ ON COST OF PIRACY
Among other startling numbers released: 140,000 active links pop up daily that infringe on copyright laws; 6 million people saw “Hurt Locker” in the theatre while 7 million saw it as an illegal download.
Wow.
As right-of-center folks constantly under assault by Hollywood it’s easy to look the other way or even enjoy the damage piracy does to an industry that doesn’t like us very much, but it’s still theft — outright theft.
The only bootleg I’ve ever purchased was “Revenge of the Sith,” more out of curiosity than anything else. It was about a week before the film came out and I was approached in the parking lot of a Los Angeles Circuit City by a guy who could only speak enough English to tell me the cost was five bucks. He had a half-dozen other titles in his hand and I’m assuming his actual stash was someplace else.
The DVD cover art was good as was the picture and sound, though there was a running time-code throughout. And then there was the sinful thrill of knowing I was sticking it to George Lucas.
Still sinful, though.
Saw Tom Jones a couple of times at the Riverside Theatre in Downtown Milwaukee in the mid-80s. Even went through “Mission: Impossible”-like machinations to get the superstar’s autograph in order to impress a woman I was relentlessly chasing at the time (I eventually caught and married her). He was in his mid-forties then and an incredible live performer who attracted woman’s panties like static cling and put on the kind of show that has kept him performing through the decades even though he hasn’t had a hit in years.
Today Jones is 71 and Saturday night he was hospitalized due to dehydration.
Let’s hope that’s all it is.
IN-DEPTH REVIEW OF THE UPCOMING BLU-RAY RELEASE OF BRIAN DEPALMA’S “SCARFACE”
…and another reminder that my birthday is just around the corner in March.
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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING
Call Northside 777 (1948): One of those post-war noir tales that helped aw-shucks Jimmy Stewart become the more adult, hardened James Stewart.
Based on a true story, Stewart plays a heroic reporter (they did exist once upon a time) who gets involved in an 11 year-old case involving the murder of a cop and the man (Richard Conte) who might have been wrongly convicted of the crime.
The Great Henry Hathaway directs in docu-drama style and best of all, much of the film is shot on-location in Chicago; supposedly at the very locations where the real story took place.
As usual, Stewart’s superb as the cynical reporter who goes from exploiting the case to becoming a true believer in his subject’s innocence, and his best scenes are with Lee J. Cobb, who plays his friend and editor. In his few screen moments, though, Conte is the real heart of the story — one of those actors who could grab your sympathy without a word. The haunted look Conte gives his character tells you all you need to know.
Intelligent, gripping film.
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QUICK HITS
LEO AND MARTY TOGETHER AGAIN? AND SOMEONE’S NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT.
WHEN YOU LACK THE KIND OF TALENT THAT GETS ATTENTION, YOU DO STUFF LIKE THIS…
LITTLE SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR US PREQUEL HATERS
SOMETHING I DO MISS ABOUT LOS ANGELES
10 SCREENWRITING TIPS YOU CAN LEARN FROM RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK…
…AND 10 SCREENWRITING NO-NOS YOU CAN LEARN FROM THE DREADFUL CRYSTAL SKULL
31 THINGS WE LEARNED FROM THE DIE HARD COMMENTARY TRACK… AND THE GHOSTBUSTERS COMMENTARY TRACK
RUMOR MILL: IS THE CRITERION COLLECTION WORKING ON A RELEASE OF THE ORIGINAL GODZILLA?
FULL SYNOPSIS OF PIXAR’S UPCOMING “BRAVE”
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CLASSIC PICK FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 30
TCM:
2:30 PM EST: Show Boat (1951) — Riverboat entertainers find love, laughs and hardships as they sail along “Old Man River.” Dir: George Sidney Cast: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel. C-108 mins, TV-G, CC.
Something I love and have always loved about home video is the opportunity to watch certain films again and again but for a different reason each time; where you focus on particular aspect of the production. Paying special attention to script, structure, photography, etc. can be a way to send yourself to film school as you attempt to crack the code of a classic (which is harder than you might think) or a way to watch a favorite once again in a whole new light.
Watch “Show Boat” for Ava Gardner’s performance as the tragic Julie. MGM did a pretty spectacular job of creating a colorful, big-budget musical around the mature theme of racism and Garner is the story’s heart and soul. One of the most over-looked and under-appreciated performances out there. Devastating stuff that lasts long after the Technicolor magic fades away.
–Please send tips/suggestions/requests to jnolte@breitbart.com
–Many thanks again to ScottDS for the great Quick Hits
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