2013 at the movies - what is upcoming

S.D. wrote:

You are assuming there is a big difference between an independent feature and a major studio effort.  The only real difference is budget.  There are plenty of independent action films and horror films and sci-fi films and comedies which could easily attract more mainstream audiences, but they don't get the chance because the major studios have all the available theater slots locked up.  

Not because the major studio films are better or more commercially viable, they just have more money to throw around.  You can produce 20 independent features for the same amount of money spent on the advertising budget of Iron Man 3.  

Well, until such time that the independent films can get the support big budget films get, then there's nothing that can be done about it. Independent film companies could collaborate together to up their advertising budgets and raise the money to get equal footing. I know it's probably easier said than done but it's the only way things are going to change. Instead of lamenting that they don't have the money to compete, they should try to do something about it. If they are, then I hope they succeed, if not then I have no sympathy for them.

DallasBlack wrote:

Independent film companies could collaborate together to up their advertising budgets and raise the money to get equal footing.

You have no concept of the amount of money the major studios are throwing around.

That's equivalent to one of these neo-thrash bands being told "hey, you need to advertise just as much as Beyonce does!" Got $200 million laying around?

Wish I could say more here but I'm in a rush...sorry db but that is not how movie business works at all. And indie studios work twice as hard as a major studio because securing funding is much more guerrilla. They simply don't have the clout and leverage that major studio empire does.

The fact remains that it's up to them to change things. You can't force people to give them equal footing. Sorry that that fact bugs you guys but that's the way of the world. Do SOMETHING to get the attention of the general public. Until you change the average movie goers habits or get the theaters to take notice, independent films will just have to play second fiddle.

Please DB, impart your wisdom of how a small studio making independent movies can compete on equal footing with a major corporation with BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of dollars to buy their way into movie theaters and plaster the nation with billboards, posters, bus station signs, Broadcast TV advertisements, online marketing and targeted media tours with the cast.

I'm sure the studios would love your knowledgable insight, please wow us with your sage marketing advice.

S.D. wrote:

Please DB, impart your wisdom of how a small studio making independent movies can compete on equal footing with a major corporation with BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of dollars to buy their way into movie theaters and plaster the nation with billboards, posters, bus station signs, Broadcast TV advertisements, online marketing and targeted media tours with the cast.  

I'm sure the studios would love your knowledgable insight, please wow us with your sage marketing advice.

First off, no need to be a asshole. I'm trying to be civil and that shit is uncalled for. Second, I have no idea, nor do I give a rat's ass. I have nothing to do with the independent film business. It's up to them to figure it out. I'm just stating the facts.

Fair enough. Apologies.

DallasBlack wrote:

The fact remains that it's up to them to change things. You can't force people to give them equal footing. Sorry that that fact bugs you guys but that's the way of the world. Do SOMETHING to get the attention of the general public. Until you change the average movie goers habits or get the theaters to take notice, independent films will just have to play second fiddle.

I think voicing our opinion as we have been is the only way at the moment to get the attention of the general public.

It's big business vs. small business, plain and simple. The antithesis of being mad at the way of the world is complacency, and that's not my gig after encountering transcendent enlightenment through numerous quality films and wishing so hard that my fellow man could enjoy that same experience for his or her own sake. It's not a selfish endeavor by any stretch. But I also refuse to place a person in captivity if he or she refuses to see past the perceived tedium of such delights. Big deal. But I will always be mad that the Wal Mart down the street pushed my neighbor's store out of business, no matter how competitive he was or how much blood sweat and tears he poured into making the most organic location for all to enjoy and delight in. Will I still shop at Wal Mart? Sure, they have great deals that a man with a wife and two kids can appreciate. Will I still see blockbusters? Hell yeah, especially if they get better in quality. But I will always lament the underdogs who put so much thought and creativity into something with a smaller budget and a no name cast.

That is the way of the world. And no I don't like it. So here I am.

S.D. wrote:

Fair enough.  Apologies.  

Accepted. I shouldn't have snapped back like that.

Let me just add real fast. I too feel that all these remakes, sequels, and adaptations that should never be are getting out of hand (I'm still waiting for the cop buddy film Shoots And Ladders). I like my share of mindless pap, but I do like to have believeable acting and characters. It really is sad that some of the best character development in major movies are found in DreamWorks, Pixar, and Blue Sky movies.

DallasBlack wrote:

S.D. wrote:

Fair enough.  Apologies.  

Accepted. I shouldn't have snapped back like that.

Let me just add real fast. I too feel that all these remakes, sequels, and adaptations that should never be are getting out of hand (I'm still waiting for the cop buddy film Shoots And Ladders). I like my share of mindless pap, but I do like to have believeable acting and characters. It really is sad that some of the best character development in major movies are found in DreamWorks, Pixar, and Blue Sky movies.

Shoots and Ladders lol; I remember that Robot Chicken bit.  

We do get some good expensive shit once in a while, like you said. Pixar has declined only a bit, here's hoping that climb again. But also what Whedon did in Avengers is a good example. When a big budget wow film comes with wit, humor, and the human element, I love it. James Cameron did good in introducing us to that sort of thing. I hear the latest Wolverine was a more character-oriented affair as well. Looking forward to that one. Also the one remake I did fully appreciate was The Thing. Actually it was a prequel, but whatever. The heroine was solid and the tension was ratcheted to 11. And tension is a bitch of a thing to accomplish. Props to any director who can keep that going.

I will say Whedon started a precedent. Hopefully others will follow.

Just for the record I'm not anti-Hollywood or anti-Studio, I've been a fan of Hollywood movies my enter life. I'm a little saddened by what I see as a drop in overall quality of writing and characterization these days, but good films still get made.

Some independent films end up doing very well theatrically, in recent years we've had The King's Speech and Silver Linings Playbook which turned major profit on relatively small budgets. Indie horror films like Insidious 1 & 2 and The Purge have also been big moneymakers. But too often I'll see a great indie flick at the theater and wish more people had the chance to experience it that way.

It's all very well wishing that things will change. I wish that filmgoers would realise that subtitles do not give you cooties as so many fantastic films are not in English, but it's not likely to happen.

Films will swing away from the current exploding superhero thing when the studios have enough turkeys on their hands and there are enough breakaway indie hits to make them think 'Hey we can make money with this' and not before. It happened in the 70's and it will happen again.

But not yet.

I saw that chick from American Pickers wearing a Megadeth shirt.

Leatherface wrote:

I saw that chick from American Pickers wearing a Megadeth shirt.

Wrong thread?

S.D. wrote:

Leatherface wrote:

I saw that chick from American Pickers wearing a Megadeth shirt.

Wrong thread?

lol

There are definitely some interesting films coming out this fall, here are a few I'm interested in.

Don Jon - Joseph Gordon Leavitt's directorial debut starring himself and Scarlett Johansson.

We Are What We Are - This indie horror film got great reactions at the Sundance film festival.

Gravity - Two person drama around an accident during a space mission, Alfonso Cuaron directs.

Runner, Runner - crime film starring Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton & Justin Timberlake.

Machete Kills - Machete don't text, but does sequel.

Kill Your Darlings - A drama portraying the formative years of Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and other members of the Beat Generation.

The Fifth Estate - Dramatic film about Wikileaks founder Julian Assange starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

The Counselor - The latest film from Ridley Scott starring Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz and Javier Bardeem.

About Time - Time travel comedy/drama starring Bill Nighy & Rachel McAdams.

S.D. wrote:

Gravity - Two person drama around an accident during a space mission, Alfonso Cuaron directs.

That does look interesting. Although from the trailer I saw all I can envision is Sandra Bullock hurtling though space for 2 hours.

 

Of course I know there's more to it than that.

Have hopes for this one - I'm a big fan of Rickman and Louge.  But I'm afraid from the trailer it'll get too cutesy with the "hey... it's (insert band)".

jstate wrote:

Have hopes for this one - I'm a big fan of Rickman and Louge.  But I'm afraid from the trailer it'll get too cutesy with the "hey... it's (insert band)".

I will definitely see this, I love stuff like this and Rickman is awesome. CBGB's was such a legendary place to me growing up, I was really sad when it closed as I never got there.   (and yeah, I do realise that it was a grotty little dump, but like The Marquee in London, so much history.)

007 wrote:

S.D. wrote:

Gravity - Two person drama around an accident during a space mission, Alfonso Cuaron directs.

That does look interesting. Although from the trailer I saw all I can envision is Sandra Bullock hurtling though space for 2 hours.

 

Of course I know there's more to it than that.

I'm looking forward to seeing this movie.

So there's a Tom Clancy adaptation arriving with Chris Pine (Star Trek Reboot) as Jack Ryan, co-written by David Koepp, and directed by...wait for it...

Kenneth Branagh.



EDIT: Okay apparently it gets even weirder; this is not based off of any one Clancy novel. They're merely trying to spin a Jack Ryan franchise. So it's based off the character, not any of Clancy's writings, although I'm sure elements will make it.

I've read several of the popular Ryan novels; what makes this bizarre as a spin-off is that Clancy was a terrible character-builder and Ryan was basically flat boilerplate since Clancy was a writer more concerned with technology and warfare. There was nothing about him that stood out except maybe for some basic attributes. I suppose this will be up to the writers to flesh him out but, Jesus, why the hell use the name? Why not create a new character? Because the Bourne movies are stretched thin already?

EDIT: Name of movie is horrible: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Release date is Christmas day.

I'll be watching this! Right after I see all of the Bourne movies. Which will be never.

Okay, this takes the cake. The Jack Ryan movie is not based on Jack Ryan. Apparently this Jack Ryan will be an operative in Dubai, whereas any Clancy reader knows Ryan is a homeland-based informant. The dude was in a desk chair most his life but known for tripping into dangerous waters on accident, like The Man Who Knew Too Much (of course he later becomes president). So let's break this down one more time:

1. Movie is called Jack Ryan, Clancy is credited.
2. Movie is not based on any Ryan-related Clancy novel.
3. Movie is not based on any Clancy novel at all.
4. Ryan character in movie bears no resemblance to Clancy's Ryan.
5. Branagh, a man known for Shakespeare theater and their cinematic counterparts, is directing after Jack Bender stepped down (worth noting Branagh did well with Thor, but still). He is also starring, possibly as the villain.
6. David Koepp, one of the most uneven genre writers working in Hollywood, is co-writing. The lead write is an unknown first-timer.
7. Release date is Christmas day, ironically the same day as the Keanu Reeves vehicle 47 Ronin, another production that makes zero sense.

So it seems they're invoking the names of Jack Ryan and Tom Clancy for the sake of familiarity and that's all, probably scared that no one would watch it. Hollywood is getting very weird.

Boris2008 wrote:

I'll be watching this! Right after I see all of the Bourne movies. Which will be never.

Haha. My opinion on the Bourne flicks? Biggest waste of time I've ever spent for something so very bland and unspecial. There is virtually nothing of worth to be found in those movies outside of a motion-sickness headache. For all the originality that was being promoted upon each movie's release, I found nothing but a heap of pedestrian boredom. I cannot figure out for the life of me why everyone went so crazy for those movies. It was nothing that we hadn't seen before. Dull action, poor choreography, stilted dialogue, uneven pacing, dragging feet, just...empty and faceless.

Wondering if this Jack Ryan will turn out the same way but Branagh is a pretty charismatic director. Yet for him to be doing a political action thriller is just balls-out bewildering.

Big fan of Clancy's novels - VERY bummed that he died (just this week)....... He's got one last Ryanverse book coming out in December (then we'll get the "Hey, we found this plot idea on his lap top so we paid a ghost writer to make it into a novel, like the publishers do with ever other dead author)

That said, I will go see the flick, will be interesting to see how it turns out. Trailer looks interesting, they kept the same basic premise (CIA Analyst forced into field work on occasion.) Costner seems to be playing Admiral Greer role (or whatever they renamed him for the movie) Branagh as the director/villian - I am in, I tend to enjoy the flicks he has directed.

Looking forward to this one!