Advertisement
Notes from Movieland: Steal This
Last week I attended a party at my friend Nim’s post-production facility. I found myself in the kitchen, chatting with a handful of independent moviemakers (as if I know any other kind…). They were sharing war stories of pitches gone awry. And of theft—Hollywood-style. One producer detailed a pitch meeting he’d had with an actor’s manager. The actor passed on the high concept project, and lo and behold, one year later, he was staring at an almost exact replica of the script. Needless to say the producer’s name was nowhere in sight and nary a credit or percentage was on the horizon.
January 29th, 2009 | Category: Notes From Movieland | By Anne Norda
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Marlett & Me: Tried, Trite & True
The road to financing your film is paved with heavy-assed stones laid by you. That may sound trite, and perhaps it is. Call it the tried, trite and true method if you must. All the same, applicable. This comes to mind due to a conversation I had over the weekend with a guy afflicted by the film-disease that we all share. He has multiple film concepts, two television/broadband pitches and a smattering of successes trailing over the past few years. But he is struggling for financing to keep the whole thing going. Sound familiar? He’s doing commercials and has a music video coming up, but that’s not his dream. He is a moviemaker.
January 28th, 2009 | Category: Marlett & Me | By David Marlett
Video Views Pick: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Rebecca Hall is Vicky. Scarlett Johansson is Cristina. Barcelona is where the two best friends are spending the summer.
January 27th, 2009 | Category: Video Views Pick | By Art Slavin
Adventures in Self-Releasing: The Last Lullaby
Last Friday, I finally did it. I put together an e-mail for my 48 investors, saying, “As I mentioned in our last couple of updates, I think it will soon be time for us to transition from the world of film festivals to some real distribution for our film. That said, I am pleased to announce I have made some decisions that will push us into the next phase of this process. Beginning in May, we will start a small theatrical release of our film.”
January 22nd, 2009 | Category: Adventures in Self-Releasing | By Jeffrey Goodman
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Grassroots Moviemaker: Moviemakers Make a Difference
The Winter 2009 issue kicks off our 16th year, and many of you will be reading it for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival, which is always a favorite destination of mine. Although I’ll be at Sundance again this year, I don’t get to travel to as many festivals as I once did. I’ve discovered that juggling careers as a film producer and magazine publisher while moonlighting as a married father of three tends to put a damper on many travel aspirations. But getting an invitation to the Bahamas International Film Festival in December was an offer I had a hard time passing up, and I’m glad I didn’t.
January 21st, 2009 | Category: Grassroots Moviemaker | By Timothy Rhys
Notes from Movieland: Avoiding the Inevitable-In Memory of Edwin
Seven minutes. That’s the length of time I was able to focus on my script before boomeranging once again into my Yahoo! account. What if some unexpected job offer or a missive from someone I love, like or have passed a biz card to recently has sent me a message?
January 21st, 2009 | Category: Notes From Movieland | By Anne Norda
Marlett & Me: 50-Foot Anamorphic Glory
Seeing how this is my first blog, here at MovieMaker, I gotta confession to kick this thing off: I know nothing more than you do.
January 20th, 2009 | Category: Marlett & Me | By David Marlett
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Video Views Pick: The Express
The true story of Ernie Davis is one that will touch the hearts of everyone, football fan or not.
January 20th, 2009 | Category: Video Views Pick | By Art Slavin
In Theaters Now: My Bloody Valentine 3-D, Notorious, Paul Blart: Mall Cop & More
A horrific foray into 3-D, a biopic not released during awards season, Kevin James riding a Segway and more dogs are in theaters now.
January 16th, 2009 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Douglas Polisin
Video Views Pick: Appaloosa
This week's Video Views pick is Appaloosa, written, produced, directed by and starring Ed Harris. Co-starring Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons and Renée Zellweger, this modern western combines a story line true to the westerns of the good old days with an in-depth look into human relationships. trails, full of betrayal, emotion and questions about the wisdom of our heroes and the motives of everyone else.
January 13th, 2009 | Category: Video Views Pick | By Art Slavin
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Clint Eastwood Opens Big
Finally getting its wide release a month after hitting theaters, Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino topped the box office this weekend, pulling in $29 million and kicking that damn dog (Marley & Me, which was ousted into fourth place with an $11.3 million weekend) off his lawn. This marks the highest grossing opening weekend for any of Eastwood's movies and brings the movie's five-week total to $40 million.
January 12th, 2009 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Andrew Gnerre
In Theaters Now: Bride Wars, The Unborn, Not Easily Broken
Anne Hathaway attends another wedding, David S. Goyer brings us a chilling thriller and T.D. Jakes takes us to church—in theaters now.
January 9th, 2009 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Kyle Rupprecht
Producers Guild of America Announces Nominees
The Producers Guild of America is the latest to reveal its nominees for the best movie of the year and like we’ve seen many times already this awards season, there are a few motion pictures that stood head and shoulders above the crowd. Among them, five are nominated for the PGA’s top prize: Motion Picture Producer of the Year award. Among the contenders vying for the prize are The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk and Slumdog Millionaire.
January 6th, 2009 | Category: Awards Watch | By Mallory Potosky
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Video Views Pick: Pineapple Express
In Pineapple Express, this week's Video Views pick, Seth Rogen is Dale Denton, a serious stoner who works as a process server. James Franco is Saul Silver, the spaced-out pot dealer that supplies him. Together, the actors take audiences on a riotous ride, which includes a hilarious cop car chase and ends up with the boys involved in war between a drug lord and his rival Asian gang.
January 6th, 2009 | Category: Video Views Pick | By Art Slavin
Marley & Me Wins Box Office Again
Another weekend and another win for the dog. Marley & Me, the David Frankel-directed, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston-starring family flick, netted $24.1 million over the weekend pushing it over the $100 million mark ($107 million, to be exact) in 11 days. Finishing the weekend in second with a $20.3 million weekend was Bedtime Stories, directed by Adam Shankman (Hairspray) and starring Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce and Russell Brand.
January 5th, 2009 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Andrew Gnerre
In Theaters Now: Defiance
Ed Zwick's Defiance, the fourth Holocaust drama of the season, arrives In Theaters Now.
January 2nd, 2009 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Kyle Rupprecht
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Video Views Pick: Burn After Reading
The Coen brothers' Burn After Reading is this week's Video Views pick. CIA analyst Oswald Cox (John Malkovich) is a very angry man. He has just been demoted and his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton), doesn’t listen to anything he says. She’s too busy with other things, like her affair with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), a married man who also surfs the Internet for women to hook up with. Having quit his job, Oswald is now writing his memoirs, a computer disc of which is found by the cleaning man at Hardbodies Fitness Center. Two of the trainers there, Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) and Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), think the disc contains top secret information and see an opportunity for blackmail.
December 31st, 2008 | Category: Video Views Pick | By Art Slavin
Marley & Me Enjoys a Record-Breaking Christmas
After enjoying a $14.7 million first day gross, the largest Christmas Day opening ever, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston's family-friendly Marley & Me went on to win the weekend with $37 million and a four-day total of $51.7 million. Coming in second was the week's other PG release, Bedtime Stories, starring Adam Sandler, which brought in $28.1 million for the weekend and $38.6 million over four days.
December 29th, 2008 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Andrew Gnerre
In Theaters Now: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Spirit, Revolutionary Road, Valkyrie & More
Studios are releasing the big guns this long holiday weekend, with moviemaking feats like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Spirit, family tales like Bedtime Stories and Marley & Me, and anticipated adult fare like Revolutionary Road, Valkyrie, Last Chance Harvey and Waltz With Bashir.
December 25th, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Kyle Rupprecht
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Jim Carrey Takes Back the Box Office
The showdown of the two $20 million men ended with Rubberface out-earning the Fresh Prince by a little more than $2 million. Jim Carey's Yes Man, co-starring Zooey Deschanel and directed by Peyton Reed (Down with Love, The Break-Up), took in $18.2 million in its debut weekend, while Will Smith's Seven Pounds, co-starring Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson and Barry Pepper, finished its first weekend with $16 million.
December 22nd, 2008 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Andrew Gnerre
In Theaters Now: Seven Pounds, The Tale of Despereaux, The Wrestler & More!
With awards season in full swing, audiences everywhere are finally getting a chance to see what award committee voters saw weeks earlier: Seven Pounds, The Wrestler and Nothing But the Truth. Plus, audiences can catch some lighter treats for the season, including a brave little-mouse-that-could in The Tale of Despereaux and Jim Carrey's return to comedic form in Yes Man.
December 19th, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Douglas Polisin
Video Views Pick: Mamma Mia
Mamma Mia is this week's Video Views pick. Donna Sheridan (Meryl Streep) runs a hotel on the Greek island to which she brought three men to more than 20 years ago. And while she had sent them all away, now her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is getting married to her boyfriend (Dominic Cooper) there tomorrow. Sophie wants her father to walk her down the aisle, but doesn’t know who he is. After reading her mother’s diary, she narrows it down to those three guys: Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgärd) and Harry Bright (Colin Firth)—and, unbeknownst to Donna, invites them all to the wedding.
December 17th, 2008 | Category: Video Views Pick | By Art Slavin
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Keanu Reeves is The One at the Box Office
A couple weeks after a massive Thanksgiving weekend, the box office continues to lumber along. The big "winner" this weekend was The Day the Earth Stood Still, starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith and John Cleese, pulling in a paltry (for an event movie like this) $31 million in its first week. Four Christmases finished the weekend in second with $13.3 million, pushing its total gross up to $88 million and handily beating the new Christmas movie Nothing Like the Holidays.
December 15th, 2008 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Andrew Gnerre
In Theaters Now: Doubt, The Reader, The Day the Earth Stood Still
Meryl Streep challenges Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kate Winslet takes on Ralph Fiennes and Keanu Reeves succumbs to his alien nature—in theaters now.
December 12th, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Brian Hickey
Golden Globe Nominations Announced
The Golden Globe nominations have just been released and this year’s list is full of surprises and upsets, standout performances and indie comebacks. In the category of Best Motion Picture—Drama, David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon, Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and Stephen Daldry’s The Reader all picked up nods with each director also picking up nominations for Best Director—Motion Picture.
December 11th, 2008 | Category: Awards Watch | By Douglas Polisin
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>
Categories
Adventures in Self-ReleasingJames Gunn: Behind the Screams
Moviemaking Contest
Cinema Law
Directing on a Dime
Association of the Week
Awards Watch
Exhibitor of the Week
Festival of the Week
Film School of the Week
I Found It At The Movies
Grassroots Moviemaker
Happenings
Just Crowdfund the $&*# Movie!
In Theaters Now
Marlett & Me
Mixed Reviews
Location of the Week
MM First Look
MM In The News
MM Remembers
Moviemaker of the Week
My Life As a Blog
News/Commentary
Notebook
Notes From Movieland
Notes from Overboard
Rus Thompson's Short Takes
Screenwriter of the Week
This Day in Indie History
Top of the Box Office
Video Views Pick
Website of the Week
Monthly Archives
February 2012January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
August 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
SITE DELIVERY OPTIONS
Advertisement
