I dunno if there is already a thread about this. I think there kinda are a few, but whatever.
first, there are three football movies out in the same month. then two movies about hollywood homicides. then that capote film coming out. now there is beer league, which is beerfest meets benchwarmers. I mean, studio movies have always been unoriginal, but usually you get just one movie about one unoriginal idea per season. this is kinda weird.
Quote from: pete on September 14, 2006, 11:53:40 PM
I mean, studio movies have always been unoriginal, but usually you get just one movie about one unoriginal idea per season. this is kinda weird.
Don't forget the whole "Volcano"/"Dante's Peak" and "Armageddon"/"Deep Impact" thing. Not to mention "Antz"/"A Bug's Life". And to a lesser extent "Saving Private Ryan"/"Thin Red Line".
The Descent/The Cave
Kundun/Seven Years in Tibet
The Sixth Sense/Stir Of Echoes
Zodiac/The Zodiac
The Score/Heist
Stone's Alexander/Luhrmann's cancelled Alexander project
Crash/Mind of Mencia
The Illusionist/The Prestige
Cars/Talledega Nights (NASCAR made serious bank this summer)
All the fucking CG animated movies with animals escaping the zoo or somesuch--Madagascar, Over The Hedge, The Wild, and that Open Season movie looks similar even though it's about the forest and not the zoo.
Pixar's Ratatouille and Aardman's Flushed Away.
The two Janis Joplin projects (with Zooey and Renee in the roles).
When Boys Don't Cry was being made, two other competing Brandon Teena movies were in development (one with Drew Barrymore, and one with Neve Campbell that didn't go very far).
And I might be imagining things and I'm too lazy to make sure, but weren't/aren't there two Bob Dylan movies being made? I'm Not There and something else? Or am I just confusing that with the documentary?
Jesus Christ there are a lot of these!
1492: Conquest of Paradise/Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
Truman Show/Pleasantville/EdTV
Sky High/Zoom
Quote from: matt35mm on September 15, 2006, 02:26:10 AM
All the fucking CG animated movies with animals escaping the zoo or somesuch--Madagascar, Over The Hedge, The Wild, and that Open Season movie looks similar even though it's about the forest and not the zoo.
Don't forget Barnyard which looks similar to all of those even though it's about a farm and not the forest or a zoo.
First Daughter and Chasing Liberty
Dueling directors Milk a good story
Singer, Van Sant line up similar projects
Source: Variety
Each is trying to be first in production with a film about Harvey Milk, the San Francisco supervisor and first openly gay elected official in the U.S., who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by Supervisor Daniel White.
After 15 years in development, "The Mayor of Castro Street," the movie based on the book by Randy Shilts, is moving toward the starting gate. Warner Independent Prods., which brought in Singer two years ago, is near a deal with Participant Prods. to co-finance and with Chris McQuarrie to write the final draft.
Now, Van Sant has attached himself to an untitled Milk script by Dustin Lance Black, writer of several episodes of the HBO drama "Big Love." The writer's agents at Endeavor will shop the script early next week.
McQuarrie, who first teamed with Singer on "The Usual Suspects," is working with the director on an untitled WWII thriller at United Artists that McQuarrie wrote with Nathan Alexander. Tom Cruise is toplining an ensemble drama about German generals who hatch a scheme to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
The fates of "Capote" and "Infamous" have demonstrated how important it is to be first in the marketplace when it comes to rival fact-based pictures. "Capote" came first and became an awards season darling highlighted by an Oscar win for Philip Seymour Hoffman; "Infamous" followed a year later, and, despite good reviews, a dead-on Capote perf by Toby Jones and the presence of Daniel Craig and Sandra Bullock, barely got noticed.
Adding to the intrigue is that fact that Van Sant was once set to direct "Castro Street" and even wrote a draft of the script years ago for Warners.
Craig Zadan, who is producing "The Mayor of Castro Street" with Neil Meron, liked their chances to get into production quickly. This despite Singer's commitment to the Cruise movie, "Valkyrie," which has a July 8 start date, and a "Superman Returns" sequel which Warner Bros. hopes to have ready for release in 2009.
"We're seeing the light at the end of a long tunnel," he said. "Warner Independent is pushing us to get the film made right away. Some of it might have to do with the enormous success of 'Brokeback Mountain,' and some of it is passion for the right tone and the story we are telling. Chris has nailed the take, and the goal is to have the script ready so that we can make the movie as soon as Bryan finishes his UA film. We've had tremendous response from actors."
don't do van sant's version, it will suck. his "Based on facts" movies have been the biggest bullshit to come out of America in recent years.
Quote from: pete on April 13, 2007, 03:33:33 AMhis "Based on facts" movies have been the biggest bullshit to come out of America in recent years.
no they haven't.
Quote from: picolas on April 13, 2007, 04:05:32 AM
Quote from: pete on April 13, 2007, 03:33:33 AMhis "Based on facts" movies have been the biggest bullshit to come out of America in recent years.
no they haven't.
I'm with pete, but that comment stands to get little reaction besides something like yours.
I think Elephant is a pretty amazing movie. I'd be curious to see what Van Sant would do with it, but I know Singer would have a solid film regardless.
next up, joel schumacher, todd haynes, and john waters battle to get their biopics of paul lynde off the ground.
the secret life of uncle arthur...
Quote from: Gamblour. on April 13, 2007, 11:11:15 AM
I think Elephant is a pretty amazing movie.
I guess that is the comment I deserved. My point is that if people are going to dramatically praise or slam something they should try for at least a small explanation. Grand standing statements, especially those that go against the grain, always need a context.
I know some smart people who love Elephant, but that comment does no more than agree or disagree.
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet on April 13, 2007, 01:36:49 PMMy point is that if people are going to dramatically praise or slam something they should try for at least a small explanation. Grand standing statements, especially those that go against the grain, always need a context.
that's what i was saying.
I am not big into Elephant (though I don't hate it, either... I didn't have that strong of a reaction to it either way. I CAN see some of the bullshit in it, though), but I like Gerry. I don't know if Pete was including that in his Van Sant hate because I don't know if Gerry was 'based on facts.'
I never saw Last Days.
gerry was based on facts.
Quote from: picolas on April 13, 2007, 02:42:04 PM
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet on April 13, 2007, 01:36:49 PMMy point is that if people are going to dramatically praise or slam something they should try for at least a small explanation. Grand standing statements, especially those that go against the grain, always need a context.
that's what i was saying.
i don't know what pic is saying, but GT your comment is no less absolute than anyone else's.. maybe even moreso cos you simply agreed with pete's "grand standing statement".
Quote from: Pubrick on April 13, 2007, 09:04:09 PM
gerry was based on facts.
Quote from: picolas on April 13, 2007, 02:42:04 PM
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet on April 13, 2007, 01:36:49 PMMy point is that if people are going to dramatically praise or slam something they should try for at least a small explanation. Grand standing statements, especially those that go against the grain, always need a context.
that's what i was saying.
i don't know what pic is saying, but GT your comment is no less absolute than anyone else's.. maybe even moreso cos you simply agreed with pete's "grand standing statement".
I wasn't trying to make an argument against Van Sant. I was just commenting on the nature of, well, comments. It didn't seem like the appropriate place to start a Van Sant discussion.
Quote from: Pubrick on April 13, 2007, 09:04:09 PM
i don't know what pic is saying
i said "no they haven't" to show that pete's statement didn't justify or explain itself at all so it could be countered with a satement as simple and unjustified. basically thread rebalancing. also i think the death trilogy is the opposite of bullshit, with the possible exception of michael pitt's performance in last days, but even that isn't without an amazing premise that involves looking at something for a really long time..
god, everyone is asking for explanations everywhere. I've trashed van sant enough times I just assumed people who read whatever I said would remember a fragment of that or whatever. plus, I really wasn't that interested in discussing the indie darling status of van sant, I just wanted to loudly groan with words. Since I read the bad news on this forum, then I will show my disgust on this forum. that was all.
but if you wanna talk about van sant, lets talk about van sant, and I'll just re-iterate my point. the man has no insightful knowledge of the "real events" that he based his films on, aside from what everyone already knows, which is all based on sensationalized news pieces. Then he proceeds to make a film using those facts, but filmmed with the grace and texture of a more expensive, more pensive film. then when he releases the film he goes public with this two-part cheap tactic: first he tells everyone exactly what and who the film is about, just in case we don't recognized the re-enacted headlines or sunglasses. then he tells everyone he doesn't have a conclusion so we have to watch it and decide for ourselves. now, the latter might be okay, if he's thrown in some insight or understanding in there. but instead, the man essentially becomes as irresponsible as CNN. he draws out his sensationalized newspaper gossip, but then comments that he refuses to comment on it. and then voila, somehow, all these people who have never believed in objectivity in cinema before come out and praise his master pieces for their objectivity. objectivity and ignornace are not the same thing. that's the problem with van sant, but also the genius of van sant. nobody with that sophisticated sense of craftsmanship has sunken that low yet.
i didn't need or want an explanation. GT was basically saying that calling his recent efforts total bullshit is justified as a statement while the opposite (that his last three films were amazing) is "typical" of a grand statement that says nothing. well they're both the same and that's all he needed to acknowledge.
i havn't even read what you wrote, i'm sure it's all well and good. i wasn't really invested in this to care either way. just pointing out that GT made no sense and i think that's what pic was saying too. grand statements are fine sometimes!
I was responding to Picolas, he seemed to both love van sant and wanted an explanation.
guess I was very wrong about Milk!