| Archives of Nolan's Pop Culture Review | ||
        | ||
 LA FLORIDIANA A Truly Magic Moment by William Moriaty | ||
THIS WEEK'S MOVIE REVIEW Summer's Here! by Mike Smith | ||
HORROR MOVIE UPDATE Remakes and Sequels....There is Only One George A. Romero by Drew Reiber | ||
ASIAN FILM UPDATE Seijun Suzuki-A-Go-Go by Peter Card | ||
MATT'S RAIL The Force Wasn't With Them....JawsFest On The Horizon....Monster Bash Also Looming by Matt Drinnenberg | ||
MIKE'S RANT From Last Week....Bad Hair Day....Who Are You?....Passing On....Jaws: The Story, Part 20 by Mike Smith | ||
LETTERS | ||
Established A.D. 2000, March 19. Now in our sixth calendar year!
Number 270 (Vol. 6, No. 21). This edition is for the week of May 23--29, 2005.
This bodes well for a summer hopefully more active than the past years' where relatively lame movie offerings reflected in ever-sliding box-office takes.
Still ahead, The Longest Yard remake with Adam Sandler (which opens this Friday as I'm writing this and personally notable for having our own Corey Castellano on the make-up crew. Look for his name in the credits.), The Fantastic Four which many fans feel uneasy about, particularly regarding the make-up effects (and some rumored similarity in plot to The Incredibles), Batman Begins, the highly-anticipated Christopher Nolan-helmed film that promises to show us a truly dark knight. And, our returning correspondent Drew Reiber would never forgive me if I failed to mention George A. Romero's Land of the Dead, an honest-to-goodness return of the living dead from the man who virtually invented the genre. For other eagerly anticipated summer offerings see Mike Smith's commentary in This Week's Movie Review. Later in the year, of course, I will be first in line for Peter Jackson's King Kong, but I'm getting a little ahead of myself.
Paul Scrader's "Dominion", Prequel to The Exorcist, Released Harlin was hired to remake the sequel after Shrader's version was deemed "too cerebral".
Both versions feature the same cast and writers (except for one who re-wrote extensively for Harlin's version) but the emphasis on Shrader's version is on the loss of faith of Father Merrin and his earlier encounters with evil. Renny Harlin's was dressed up for more action and obscenity.
Schrader's version should be seeing the light of day about the time you read this.
NolanCon Film Fest "Pitch" Contest Undergoing Clarifications and Revisions The main misunderstanding seems to be on the wording. "An advance against future royalties" would seem to indicate an advance "profit", free and clear of restrictions. What I think was meant was "pre-sale investment", but one the filmmaker would never have to pay back, even if the movie is not sold or tanks completely, an important distinction. The point of the contest is to enable a filmmaker to use that much money to create a better quality product, that's all, but not to blow it on things that have nothing to do with the movie: cameras don't have to be owned, but can be rented, leaving the balance on improving audio, hiring professional actors, editors, etc.. Then there is the troubling matter of copyrights.
Neil said it was the distributor he's working with, Niche Media Ventures, who was instrumental on the part about signing over rights (a statement which needs clarification if ever any did!) and about placing money restrictions. The "signing over rights" business has to do with the distributor's unencumbered marketing, which Neil was told is standard operating procedure, but does NOT mean "royalties" come to an end. ALL of this would be spelled out in contracts and no one is getting ripped off.
It may interest you to know Niche Media discouraged Neil from putting up any money AT ALL, saying they were not concerned with a film's geographic origin. Neil reminded them this is his personal contribution to help kick start some creativity and enthusiasm (and improved quality) in this area, especially as the pitch contest ties into NolanCon events. (He is also very mindful of anything casting a negative light on me, which I respect and am grateful for.)
But the money is intended on producing a finished product, not on catching up personal finances. HOWEVER...as Joe and Vinnie have quite justifiably pointed out, the implied "advance against future royalties" stated on Neil's website (and on mine, too, originally) implies the money is a "profit" to be spent any way you'd like. So, obviously something's not being communicated properly, or the whole set-up needs an adjustment.
Please bear in mind this is the first time either of us has attempted to stage anything like this and it is my sincere belief that Neil McCurry is trying to help, but he's learning all this from the ground up himself. When I spoke to Neil over the phone, we both agreed the pitch contract needs some fine-tuning. When the application form is ready for download June 1st, all concerns will be addressed and the objectives clarified.
My personal goal is to help our films get out to the world, and this is a first baby step. Neil's goal is the same. The last thing we need is for everyone who stands to benefit from this running in the opposite direction due to misunderstandings!
More to come as I know it...
Jason's a hard-working and busy traveling filmmaker, and with all that, this is the first time in a year and a half since his series began we've had a spot of technical trouble. We here at PCR certainly can identify with the technical troubles, wish Jason all the best on his current trips to Colorado and Wyoming to hunt Buffalo(?), and look forward to his return. Those videos should be interesting, to say the least!
Note to out-of-towners considering traveling to this area for NolanCon this August, now you have an added incentive: attend the Convention and you'll be within a 30-minute drive to the NUMBER ONE BEACH IN AMERICA!
The calendar is marching mercilessly forward towards August 13th and NolanCon. In an effort to help ensure we meet our goals on the remaining dealers tables, I'm extending the discounted rates through to July 31st, 2005. After July 31st, rates will go up substantially, and remember, first-come, first-served still has preference over placement, so please act now. As a reminder to anyone visiting NolanCon as a fan you can get discounted advance tickets online and your wristband(s) will be waiting for you. Also, when booking hotel rooms at the Best Western (813-281-3500), mention you're with NolanCon to get the special rate of $69 a night!
Aftertaste, Aftermath and Afterglow
Not surprisingly "Star Wars, Episode III" set a new box office record taking in $158 million in four days, shattering the old three-and-four day opening weekend records held by Spider-Man II and Shrek II.
Drew Reiber Returns
Long absent from these pages but fresh from the battlefield of the CF Message Board comes comics whiz and movie trivia hellion Drew Reiber, who has haunted these halls in the distant past with such fare as "Wake Up and Smell The Comics" and "The Unapologetic DVD Enthusiast". Drew is now concentrating his keen media awareness on horror movies, and he starts his first new column for us in a while with a getting-us-up-to-speed piece on George A. Romero. Check it out!
Paul Schrader has been having to live with the cloak of failure ever since producers shelved his version of the Exorcist prequel in favor of the much louder, but much thinner Renny Harlin vehicle which failed to even make back its investment.
One of PCR's writers and an old friend, Vincent Blesi, and an emerging area filmmaker, Joe DiCanio, have both expressed concerns over the rules regarding the NolanCon Film Fest's "pitch" contest, current rules found on sponsor Neil McCurry's website, especially regarding restrictions on how the $5,000 top prize is spent, and about the likelihood pre-distribution rights re-assignment. I spoke to Neil over the phone and conveyed the concerns regarding use of the $5,000 "pre-buy sale" monies.
The World of Nolan's "Jason's Jungle" Episode Delayed Until June
"Sorry about the late episode. I am chasing Buffalo in Wyoming for your enjoyjment. Or are they chasing me? If you've never seen an SUV forced to back up by a 2,000 lb. animal, you are in for a treat."
Sincerely, Jason L. Liquori.
The disc Jason Liquori sent me with not one but TWO "Jason's Jungle" episodes would not open with any program I had (a first, that) and so are unusable. Unfortunately, Jason's out of town until June and powerless to do anything about it except convey apologies to his fans and that as soon as he gets back he'll fix the situation.
Fort DeSoto Beach: Number One
It's official: South St. Petersburg's Fort DeSoto Beach has been declared the Number One beach in America! Author and beach enthusiast, "Mr. Beach", Dr. Stephen Leatherman, the man who comprises lists of such things, found Ft. DeSoto to be Number Two in years past, but this is the first time our own backyard has been displayed so prominently on his list. Apparently, the North Beach area of the island was too picture-perfect for him to resist any longer.
TOP 10 BEACHES 2005:
1. Fort De Soto Park - North
Beach, St Petersburg, Florida
2. Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks,
North Carolina
3. Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii
4. Caladesi Island State Park,
Clearwater, Florida
5. Fleming Beach, Maui, Hawaii
6. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod,
Massachusetts
7. Coronado Beach, San Diego,
California
8. Cape Florida State Park, Key
Biscayne, Florida
9. Main Beach, East Hampton,
New York
10. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Happy Birthday Wishes go out to up-and-coming local film director Joe DiCanio who turns 28 years old today as I write this, Friday, May 27, 2005.
