Filed under: Horror, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Distribution, The Weinstein Co.

We knew something was just a tad off when the only poster for the soon-to-be-released indie horror flick All the Boys Love Mandy Lane hit streets only two weeks before the flick was supposed to land in theaters. Not to mention the marketing campaign was non-existent (Cinematical has spent more time hyping up this film than The Weinstein Co. or Dimension Films). And so I'm not surprised to hear (via Shock Till You Drop) that rumor has it Weinstein/Dimension has officially dropped Mandy Lane from its July 20 slot. Keep in mind this hasn't been confirmed, and there's no information on whether the film will be released at a later date instead, but all signs are pointing to ... Mandy Lane getting screwed, but not loved.

The film, which first premiered at last year's Toronto Film Festival (to rave reviews from our own James Rocchi), focuses on a pretty girl (Amber Heard) who's invited to a weekend party at a secluded ranch. However, once there, partygoers begin mysteriously disappearing one by one -- and, well, so it goes. Could this hesitation on Dimension's part have something to do with the negative attention horror films have been receiving lately, and/or the box office failure that was Grindhouse? And what does this mean for the other fantastic horror-related films The Weinstein Co. picked up from various festivals throughout the year -- like, say, Teeth (which is a film I absolutely loved and haven't heard a peep about since seeing it in Berlin back in February)? Chalk this one up as rumor for now; we'll let you know when more info is revealed.

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Filed under: Drama, Independent, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Cinematical Indie, War

There have been a lot of reports coming out of Italy over the last month concerning Spike Lee. In June, there was word that the director would be heading an adaptation of Walter McBride's novel -- Miracle at St. Anna. Fueled by the utter lack of African-American soldiers in Clint Eastwood's two Iwo Jima films, and meeting a black veteran from the battle, Lee decided to head to Italy to film the story of the U.S. Army's all-black 92nd division in WWII. This will be the first movie of the second World War that features a mainly-African-American cast. "I'm a big fan of World War II movies, but up until now I've only seen two that featured any black soldiers. There was Jim Brown in Dirty Dozen and (James Edwards), who was Gen. Patton's valet in Patton. I know we can do better than that." Buzz got a little more heated last week, as reports were circling about Lee's complaints with mainstream, American cinema. Now, there's more.

He's currently in Tuscany, Italy scouting locations for the film, picking up the 41st Fiesole Master of Film Award and ranting about stateside, mainstream cinema. "My last feature film, Inside Man, was my most successful so far, and I was naive enough to think that that meant I could go from there and make any film I wanted to make. But I was very, very wrong about that. Anybody who thinks that I've become part of the mainstream doesn't understand the way it works." While he's definitely doesn't pack the mainstream punch of George Lucas, for example, he's far from off-the-beaten-path indie director. You say tomato, I say tomahto, and that he's probably somewhere in the middle. However, he's definitely not in the middle over in Italy. This award that he's nabbed has only been given to two other American directors -- Orson Wells in 1974, and Stanley Kubrick in 1983. He might not get the wide-open, greenlight in seas of mainstream, US filmmaking, but he's definitely secured some solid appreciation.

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Filed under: Horror, Independent, New Releases, Lionsgate Films, Celebrities and Controversy, Movie Marketing

We knew the 'Captivity' party would be controversial, but who knew it could affect the horror flick's rating? According to the FishbowlLA blog on mediabistro.com, the MPAA actually threatened to pull the movie's R-rating because of some exterior decor at a West Hollywood club called Privilege, where the party was being held Tuesday night. Remember those tasteless billboards that already got the movie into trouble with the MPAA? Well, someone thought it was a good idea to drape the same offensive images outside the club. Apparently After Dark Films' Courtney Solomon got a call from the MPAA's Marilyn Gordon; afterward the images were removed and placed around the interior of the party instead. Solomon told FishbowlLA that he expected to hear again from the MPAA in the morning.

You'd think that after all the mess 'Captivity' got into with the MPAA over its billboards, Solomon would have known better. Of course, who would have thought the MPAA had jurisdiction over party decorations, even if they are in public view? I despise everything about the MPAA as well as everything about Captivity (except the actual movie, which I haven't seen), so I can't completely choose a side here. I also don't know how big or how visible the images were from the street. I don't think they included the film's title, so they might not have fit into the category of advertisement, and therefore shouldn't have been a concern for the MPAA. If I had my way, the MPAA and 'Captivity' would just battle it out until they destroyed each other, and then we wouldn't have to hear about either one ever again. Unless the MPAA does something drastic, 'Captivity' is set to open in theaters Friday the 13th.

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Filed under: Documentary, Independent, Celebrities and Controversy, The Weinstein Co., Politics, Michael Moore, Cinematical Indie

Yesterday we told you about filmmaker Michael Moore's CNN appearance to discuss his film SICKO, in which he ended up blasting Wolf Blitzer on his previous film, Farenheit 911, and took particular umbrage with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who's report on the facts Moore presented in SICKO ended with an accusation that Moore "fudged the facts." Larry King, sensing a ratings bonanza (because seeing Moore all riled up is nothing if not entertaining), got Moore to come on Larry King Live to debate Gupta about the facts on the show.

The result, which you can see in three parts on YouTube, is just about as entertaining as the CNN segment; watching the rough-around-the edges Moore and slick-and-polished Gupta - -both clearly two very intelligent guys -- thrust and parry as they toss around world healthcare stats, is almost as good as seeing the film itself. In the first of the segments, you can see Moore waving around an email his staff sent to Gupta's senior producer the day before Gupta's report originally aired on June 29 giving them facts and figures that weren't used in Gupta's segment, and then Gupta (who must practice staying calm under pressure, because he gives the impression he never breaks a sweat) calmly replying that his staff wasn't going to just use stats Moore provided them -- that, like Moore, they used stats from a variety of sources in order to give viewers the most accurate information.

Continue reading More Moore: This Time It's Moore Versus Sanjay Gupta

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Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Celebrities and Controversy, Exhibition, Remakes and Sequels

Alec Baldwin just can't catch a break lately. Monika told you about the status of his directorial debut back in January and now we're finally starting to hear more about its release. Trouble is, Mr. Baldwin doesn't want you to see the thing! In addition to directing, Baldwin produced and starred in the film, an update of The Devil and Daniel Webster. The movie wrapped in 2001, and has experienced nothing but problems since. It will finally be released this Friday, and oh dear, that's -- dun dun duh! -- Friday the 13th! If you're trying to find the film at your local multiplex, good luck. It is only being released in six cities (Las Vegas, Rochester, Fort Myers, Columbus, Albuquerque and Santa Fe), and you'll have to look for it under its new title: Shortcut to Happiness. Oh, and Baldwin's name won't even be listed as director or producer. It has been removed and replaced with an "Alan Smithee" -- style fake name -- Harry Kirkpatrick.

Despite Baldwin's many talents and a solid cast that includes Anthony Hopkins as Daniel Webster, Jennifer Love Hewitt as The Devil (?), Kim Cattrall, Dan Aykroyd and Jason Patric, the film has been called "one of the greatest train wrecks of all time." Where did it all go wrong? Apparently producers didn't like the more serious cut Baldwin submitted, and they recut the film into a pure comedy. Baldwin was naturally upset. To make matters worse, two of the films investors became entangled in legal woes after they were investigated for bank fraud. On top of all that, one of Baldwin's producing partners sued him for her cut. A source close to Baldwin tells the New York Post: "Alec doesn't recommend unrecognizable films to his fans. This is not an Alec Baldwin film. He's in the movie but he has nothing to do with it. His name was taken off as producer and director six years ago, but he couldn't get it taken off as an actor." So, I have to ask ... if any of you live in one of the six cities listed above and don't mind taking one for the team -- would you check it out and tell us if it's as bad as it sounds?

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Filed under: Drama, Celebrities and Controversy, Remakes and Sequels

It is inevitable that if a film comes out that is based on real people, civilizations or events, historians will be there to cry foul when a filmmaker mucks it up. Many times I agree with them -- not so much because I think films should be perfect historical documents, but because a lot of changes are just rude liberties, complete and utter fallacies or really unnecessary. Is that the case with the new Queen Elizabeth movie -- The Golden Age? I'm not so sure. Historians aren't too happy with the sequel, claiming that the artistic license taken in the film is interfering with historical evidence. The movie shows the Queen (Cate Blanchett) longing for a relationship with Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen). However, since she fears losing her crown, she pushes her confidant Elizabeth Throckmorton at him -- so she can live vicariously through the other woman.

Screenwriter William Nicholson says it's a "relationship by proxy," because she's "a sexual being who is in love with Raleigh and who wants intimacy. But she knows a full-blown relationship with Raleigh would be political dynamite." The truth behind the story is that Raleigh and Throckmorton were secretly married and imprisoned for the marriage. While some, like lecturer Anna Beer say: "There may be an emotional truth in these claims, but there is no physical or historical evidence to support them," that's a bit different than an all-out change in history. This could have possibly happened, or not, but either way, the scenario fits into the history of the real players. And really, it's tame license compared to other Tudor liberties out there.

Have any of you been watching that show based on good on Liz's dad, The Tudors? (Spoiler Alert for TV Fans) Don't pay any attention to this run-down, which says that it's pretty accurate aside from some physical attributes. Ignoring smaller points like age and looks, the show has had fun with the royal family's past. Just one of the liberties revolved around wiping the real Margaret Tudor from the historical map, changing her sister Mary's name to Margaret and then, killing her off for extra drama points. In reality, she had three children with Brandon and was most definitely around for Henry's annulment. Now that is taking dramatic license too far.

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Filed under: Documentary, Independent, Celebrities and Controversy, The Weinstein Co., Michael Moore, Cinematical Indie

Oh, boy. This is the best thing I've woken up to in a long time. For the first time in three years, Michael Moore appeared on CNN, ostensibly to talk about his film SICKO. Unfortunately for Blitzer, someone at CNN decided to precede Blitzer's interview with a little piece titled "SICKO Reality Check" by Dr. Sanjay Gupta (who is, I expect, now at the top of Moore's "People I Hate" list), which didn't exactly get things off on a good note. After Gupta's "analysis" of Moore's facts, somebody took the leash off Moore, who was on standby -- and then, as they say, the deluge.

Poor Blitzer, he never stood a chance.

Continue reading Michael Moore Smacks Wolf Blitzer Around on 'SICKO,' the War, and Why CNN Sucks

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