Filed under: Documentary, Horror, Celebrities and Controversy, Box Office, Fandom, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels, Monday Morning Poll

It's coming a little late today, but on the west coast it's technically still morning. Over the past week, I've been reading tons of articles on movie piracy -- but more specifically, how copies of both Hostel: Part II and Sicko have already leaked online. With regards to the Hostel sequel, director Eli Roth has already gone on record saying that those early leaks greatly contributed to his film failing at the box office. Since it's a smaller film, a few thousand downloads could very well hurt the pic's overall gross ... or so he says. We'll have to wait a couple weeks to see if Michael Moore's latest documentary suffers the same fate; Sicko isn't scheduled to hit theaters until June 29. But if both films wind up doing poorly when it's all said and done, is piracy really to blame?

For example, take a film like Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Here's a movie that's primarily geared toward a generation that's very knowledgeable when it comes to finding movies online for free. A very quick search lead me to a crystal clear version of the film online (and, trust me, I'm an idiot when it comes to this kind of stuff), yet it still opened this week at number one with roughly $57 million. Is it just a question of certain films being piracy proof? Or did Hostel: Part II fail for different reasons? And what if Sicko opens to great numbers -- will that mean Hostel II failed because of piracy and because it didn't feature a big fat guy talking about health care? Is it just me, or is movie piracy now becoming the go-to reason for a film's failure? If that were the case, then wouldn't more films this summer be suffering from piracy? Although I haven't downloaded any (because I absolutely refuse to do so), I've noticed almost all of the big films available for free online. And yet none of them seem to be playing the piracy card as much as Eli Roth has. Why? Because they're all making lots of money.

So, I ask you: Is piracy really to blame for the failure of a film like Hostel: Part II? And, in your opinion, is it really having that much of an impact to warrant us constantly talking about it?

Filed under: Horror, New Releases, Lionsgate Films, Celebrities and Controversy, Box Office

Director Eli Roth is speaking out about the lackluster box-office for his latest film, Hostel: Part II, and he's blaming everyone but himself. Roth puts piracy front and center as the reason for the film's performance. "Piracy has become worse than ever now, and a stolen workprint (with unfinished music, no sound effects, and no VFX) leaked out on online before the release, and is really hurting us, especially internationally," he says, before going on to specifically tear into critics who reviewed a leaked copy of the film. "Critics have actually been reviewing the film based off the pirated copy, which is inexcusable," he says. "Some of these critics I have actually known for a few years, and while I wouldn't dignify them by mentioning them by name, I know who they are, as do the studios, and other filmmakers, and they will no longer have any access to any of my films." Roth also advises fans of his that haven't seen Hostel: Part II to "go now, because after next weekend the film will be gone from theaters."

As for the future, Roth says "I am not directing Cell any time soon, and I most likely will take the rest of the year to write my other projects. Which means I wouldn't shoot until the spring and you wouldn't see a film directed by me in the cinemas until at least next fall." He goes on to say that in Hollywood, "the R-rated horror film is in serious jeopardy. Studios feel the public doesn't want them anymore, and so they are only putting PG-13 films into production. The only way to counter this perception is to get out there and support R-rated horror."

Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Celebrities and Controversy, Exhibition, 20th Century Fox, Remakes and Sequels

We at Cinematical have had our share of feuds with publicists just like every other site, but we've always been on good terms with Fox publicist Tiffany Chen. I know her to be nothing less than a professional and someone who is responsive and helpful and a generally friendly person, and I was quite surprised to see the Chud.com post by Devin Faraci that accused her of acting unprofessional and rude at last night's Silver Surfer screening, which was by all accounts, a circus. Cinematical's managing editor Erik was there, and nearly walked out after having to sit next to a homeless person, among other things.

If you want the specific list of charges Devin hurls at Tiffany, you can read it here. Tiffany has chosen to release a response through us, which I'm going to begin quoting liberally from in a second, but first I just have to point out that this wouldn't be the first time Devin has gotten it wrong in the area of personal relations. I once went to a Fox Atomic event where, after a long night prior, I chose to sit quietly and sip some coffee and watch the proceedings. When I got home that night, several people pointed me to a similar rant by Devin that accused me of being unfriendly towards him. It ended with some kind of vague threat that I was going to be ostracized from the online film community because of it. I don't know what else to say about that.

Here is Tiffany, giving some background about last night's screening. "I am always really careful about RSVPs because I want to avoid situations like this. There is nothing worse than showing up for a screening/event and your name is not on the list. I read what Devin wrote on the site and the e-mail correspondance tells you exactly what happened. After I wrote back and told him about the screening, I asked him if he could make it with a guest. I got no reply that he was even coming -- with or without a guest. I send out dozens of invitations everyday and always need my contacts to reply back to let me know if they will be there. Most of them are really good about that, but sometimes people forget -- it happens. If I assume that everyone who received an invitation would be there, I would have a list three times as long. Carol Cundiff and Harvey Karten did send out invitations for this particular promo screening (not all-media) They always say that in order to attend, you must RSVP through me. This is especially why."

Continue reading After Last Night's Wild 'Silver Surfer' Screening, Tiffany Chen Responds to Chud.com Slams Through Cinematical