THE OBENSON REPORT

Covering Cinema From All Across The African Diaspora

Fanboy Added To Merriam-Webster Dictionary

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Ha-ha! I guess it was inevitable...

From SlashFilm:

- The word “Fanboy” is one of the hundred or so new words that Merriam-Webster has decided to add to their Collegiate Dictionary this year.

Apparently the first occurance of the word was in the year 1919. Who knew? Merriam-Webster ’s definition is: “a boy who is an enthusiastic devotee (as of comics or movies).”

Of course! Although no word on whether "fangirl" will follow eventually! Do I hear any cries of sexism??

:o)

SOURCE: FANBOY ADDED TO DICTIONARY

So, I Was Interviewed By Brian Geldin Of The Film Panel Notetaker...

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Thanks to Brian Geldin and TheFilmPanelNotetaker.com for the plug! Much appreciated as always!

Follow the link below to read the entire interview, where I reveal several intimate, raunchy specifics about my sex life!

This you definitely don't want to miss folks :o)

Here's the link: ONE-ON-ONE Q&A WITH THE FILM PANEL NOTETAKER.

Cheers!

'TechNigga' - Verizon's New Advertising Partner!

Posted on 4:56 PM comments (2)
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I debated with myself on whether I should post this. I've come to find it best to quickly dismiss this kind of ignorance, and would rather not give any airtime to imbeciles like the fellow below, because I feel like I'll only be pandering to their immaturity, and helping promote their brand of "gotcha" capitalism! But I also want to make sure others are aware of the kind of bullshit that takes place in corporate advertising, especially when specific "minority" groups are insulted or marginalized, as the clip below does quite unapologetically.

Here's the deal, courtesy of Black Talent News: A coalition of civil rights organizations and media watchdog groups are calling for Verizon CEO/President, Lowell C. McAdam, to drop Verizon's contract and distribution deal with Loren Feldman, president of 1938 Media (a media company), because of a racist and sexist video clip on the company's website called "TechNigga."

"Feldman - who is white - has a history of using the internet to promote racism and demeaning and negative racial stereotypes against African Americans on his internet site. He hosts and stars in the 3 minute long "TechNigga" skit on the company web site.

The civil rights groups and media watchdogs are calling for a boycott of Verizon until they drop their contract with Feldman and his company.

I expect that Verizon will eventually comply, given the evidence below; but who knows? They might not. Feldman is obviously free to create whatever brand of content he wants - he's a sole proprietor; but Verizon, being the public behemoth that it is, won't be afforded a similar kind of dismissal. That they would go into business with a jack-ass like this is baffling.

Here's the video clip of "TechNigga":


SOURCE: BLACK TALENT NEWS - TECHNIGGA

7/8/08 UPDATE: VERIZON SAYS ADIOS TO TECHNIGGA

Book Review - 'Incognero' (A Graphic Novel)

Posted on 4:42 PM comments (2)
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I just finished reading Mat Johnson's graphic novel, Incognegro, about African American life in the early 20th Century, when lynchings were commonplace throughout the American South, and a few courageous reporters from the North risked their lives to expose these atrocities - African-American men who, due to their light skin color, could "pass" among the white folks. They called this going "incognegro" hence the novels title.

In the graphic novel, Zane Pinchback, a reporter for a New York-based newspaper, is sent to investigate the arrest of his own brother, charged with the brutal murder of a white woman in Mississippi. In order to achieve that end goal, Zane has to stay "incognegro" long enough to uncover the truth behind the murder in order to save his brother - and himself.

I was mildly disappointed with this actually. It's a rather simplistic presentation of historical record, but maybe that was intentional... I don't know. It's a graphic novel, so it's not a novel in the traditional sense, therefore, maybe I'm not supposed to expect anything deeply profound, rich, nor complex form it. Although I'm sure other graphic novel enthusiasts would beg to differ! Not that Incognegro is entirely lacking those specific traits, but it felt rather empty, despite the substantial subject it set out to tackle.

Mat Johnson is an award-winning novelist, so maybe this was just a pleasant momentary distraction - something different to do, unlike a straightforward literary novel. At least, that's what it felt like to me. I haven't read any of his novels, like Hunting in Harlem, but trusted sources have had very good things to say about him, so I have no doubt that he is as advertised.

Maybe I picked up the wrong work to acquaint myself with the man's writing, and I should have started with what he's best known for. Recently, I've become hungry for graphic novels (as well as comicbooks) that tell stories about black people regardless of time and location, so learning about Incognegro, the graphic novel by an author of his percieved caliber, excited me. Maybe my expectations were a bit too high from the moment I opened up the book's from cover.

It's not a bad read - far from it. It's just that there's a kind of levity to it that I didn't expect, which made any moments of gravity (and there were less of them) seem obviously deliberate and out of place.

Like I said initially, it's a graphic novel, and maybe I'm not the target audience for it. Johnson's intent may have been to tell this particular story in a format and language that today's youth will be able to connect to relatively easily, especially inspired by the birth of his children. If my assumption is correct, that's fine, I suppose. However, there are some rather complicated themes and gruesome scenes within the text that would need to be explained to a generation Y-er, with much more depth than his graphic novel provides.

My thinking - if you're going to write about something as labyrinthine as this, give it the coverage and tone it deserves or don't write about it at all.

So, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. On one hand, I champion the writer for dancing outside of his comfort zone and attempting to teach a complicated history lesson in a medium not really known for dealing with such subjects. On the other hand, I think the piece is too thin, lacking in complexity, and sometimes unecessarily resorts to what feel like trite storytelling gimmicks that left me perplexed. There's a tonal inconsistency running throughout, which I found problematic given the issues it tackles.

I'll likely read it again for a second time. Maybe it'll register differently with me then. Maybe not.

For now, I'll stick to me intial observations... not bad, but not good enough to strongly recommend either. It's a short read at 136 pages, taking me about 2 hours to get through it - almost like an appetizer for something grander still to come.

If anyone else has read it, please do share your thoughts. Maybe I missed the boat entirely on this one, and need to be enlightened.

You can check it out yourself here: INCOGNEGRO THE GRAPHIC NOVEL.

Elvis Mitchell: Under The Influence

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Former New York Times film critic (1998 - 2004), Elvis Mitchell will serve as host of a new show on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) called, Elvis Mitchell: Under The Influence, which debuts tonight, on TCM, at 8PM EST, with an encore presentation at 10:30PM EST. In each half-hour episode of this series, Mitchell invites celebrity guests to "sit down and talk about how classic film has influenced their lives." Interviewees set to appear on the program include the late Sydney Pollack, Bill Murray, Quentin Tarantino, Laurence Fishburne, Joan Allen, Edward Norton, Richard Gere, and John Leguizamo.

A little about Mitchell: Other than being the NY Times film critic for 4 years, he is currently a visiting lecturer in film and African American Studies at Harvard University. He also produced a documentary film called The Black List - "a film about race, culture and the seeds of success that includes interviews with the likes of Toni Morrison, Chris Rock and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar among others." It was picked up by HBO at this year's Sundance Film Festival, but has yet to air, as far as I know.

I don't know if I'll be able to catch tonight's premiere, but if you can, do so. And feel free to post your thoughts afterwards.

Film.com recently interviewed him about the show and other film-related subjects: Striving Under the Influence: A Good Chat with Elvis Mitchell.

The official TCM site for the show can be found here: Elvis Mitchell: Under The Influence Official Site.

And Now, A Nollywood Moment...

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A new feature of this blog... something I'm calling, Nollywood Moments.

Here's the first of many to come (haha):

New Age Feminism?

Posted on 12:34 PM comments (1)
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This has been getting a lot of blogosphere pub in the last 48 hours, and continues to generate heat, given its content; so I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

From Lizz Winstead at Shoot The Messenger:

- Tracie Egan and Moe Tkacik, two writers from Jezebel.com were invited to appear on my show, Thinking and Drinking (the title of the show alone is telling). Their work on Jezebel has made them role models for young women everywhere (after watching this clip, that's a scary notion). After reading their posts to prepare for the interview, I wanted to have a conversation about Hillary and sexism, women’s magazines and if they feel any obligation to write about responsibility and safety when they write graphically about their sex lives.

Here they discuss rape:

Read and watch a lot more here: Jezebelism: My Interview With Moe and Tracie.

'Inconvenient Truth' Director Making Obama Documentary

Posted on 11:57 AM No Comments
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I still haven't seen An Inconvenient Truth actually. But I suppose we're all supposed to get excited about this...

From HuffPo:

- The pool report on Friday from the Obama press corps revealed an interesting tidbit: Davis Guggenheim, the director of An Inconvenient Truth, is making a (seemingly secret) documentary about Barack Obama that will apparently air at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Col. next month.

I'm guessing it'll be a "This Is Your Life" kind of presentation, meant to excite the party and the crowd in attendance. It doesn't seem like it's going to be something of significance that the rest of us will get to see - at least not until after the convention I guess. Although I won't mind being privy to the intimacies of Barack and his family's life over the last 8 months, "upclose and personal" style. But this sounds more like a fluff piece - an advert for his candidacy.

The rest here: 'Inconvenient Truth' Director Making Obama Documentary.

RZA Taking On Directing Duties

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I reported on Saturday that Wu Tang Clan's RZA had a martial arts film collaboration in the works with one of "torture porn's" finest, Mr Eli Roth (Hostel 1 & 2), under Quentin Tarantino's supervision. You can read that post here: RZA DEVELOPING MARTIAL ARTS FLICK. At the time, all we had to go on was a quote RZA made, almost in passing, during an interview with Billboard Magazine, in which he talks mainly about his music projects.

Now, David Faraci over at CHUD.com (Cinematic Happenings Under Development) was able to unearth a lot more about what we can expect from this RZA/Roth/Tarantino collaboration, and apparently, RZA not only wrote the screenplay, but he'll also be directing the film, his first attempt behind the camera!

According to Faraci's post, Roth says, "RZA's script is amazing. He has been studying directing with Tarantino for years, and he's really ready to get behind the camera. His impact on rap music and hip hop culture cannot be measured, and he's ready to add his own unique style and vision to the world of film. This movie will have everything martial arts fans could want, combined with RZA's superb musical talent. This project has been his dream for years, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. And fans should know that yes, there will be blood... This ain't no PG-13."

Well then... RZA's moving on from the microphone to the camera. What the results of this will be is anyone's guess, since we have little to go on. Like I stated in the original post, I'm not a fan of Roth's "torture porn" movies, and I'm not a big Tarantino fan either, so this collaboration doesn't really excite me much, despite RZA's involvement.

Time will tell... and of course, I'll be paying attention as this develops.

SOURCE: CHUD

Melvin Van Peebles Sues ASCAP Over His Baadasssss Songs

Posted on 8:20 AM No Comments
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I've always known he was a rennaisance man, but I don't think I've ever heard any of his music, other than what he created for Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song and I didn't particularly care for any of it.

His discography includes the following: Brer Soul (1969), Watermelon Man soundtrack (1970), Ain't Supposed To Die A Natural Death (1970), Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song soundrtrack (1971), Don't Play Us Cheap soundtrack (1973), As Serious As A Heart-Attack (1974), What the....You Mean I Can't Sing?! (1974), Ghetto Gothic (1995), X-Rated by an All-White Jury (1997) and his next project will be a double album with hip-hop impresario Madlib, to be released on Stones Throw Records. No word on when that will be out.

So, when I read the article below, I wasn't sure just how seriously to take his claim. But he's definitely serious alright.

From The Set List:

- Melvin Van Peebles explored his distrust of “the man” when he was making the films “Don’t Play Us Cheap,” “The Story of a Three Day Pass” and “Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song." A writer, director, actor and composer, he has now determined that ASCAP, which is responsible for the collection of royalties, failed to list close to 100 of his songs in their databank and therefore owes him $20 million.

Van Peebles claims ASCAP failed to maintain his catalog and make it available to potential licensees. (Seems to me that’s what a music publisher does, not ASCAP, BMI or SESAC). His beef is that between 1968 and now, he registered 157 compositions but some time between 1992 and 2005, ASCAP deleted or lost most of his repertoire. The mishap, Van Peebles appears to believe, occurred when ASCAP instituted its ACE system, which made the databank electronically based rather than paper based.

The entire article here: VAN PEEBLES SUES ASCAP

Wesley Snipes Watch - 2 Films On The Way

Posted on 7:45 AM No Comments
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According to the AP, Wesley Snipes will be allowed to leave the U.S. to work on two movies while his lawyers appeal his tax convictions.

The report states that "Federal judge William Terrell Hodges on Wednesday approved the actor's motion to travel to London and Bangkok, Thailand."

Sounds intriguing! And what movies is Mr Snipes working on in each of these cities?

For you UK folks, he'll be in England for three days this month for postproduction editing of Gallowwalker, (a film I profiled here: GALLOWWALKER); and then he'll be in Thailand for eight weeks to film Chasing the dragon. How phallic, won't you agree, not unlike the phrase "Draining the dragon."

Anywho... I couldn't find much on that film; but I did learn that the phrase, "Chasing the Dragon" is slang of Cantonese origin that refers to inhaling the smoke from heated morphine, heroin or opium, which is referred to as a dragon in some Asian cultures. So, I'll assume there's a connection. But something tells me both films will be straight-to-DVD releases. He's done quite a few of those I believe. Someone needs to ressurect Wesley, the way Tarantino helped bring Travolta back from oblivion, or as Jean Claude Van Damme appears to be doing for himself. Maybe a self-mocking piece - a film that carricatures the last few years of his life. I'll be looking out for both above films.

A jury convicted the action star in February of three counts of willfully failing to file his income taxes, and Snipes appealed the convictions and his three-year prison sentence to the 11th Circuit Court in Atlanta.

Prosecutors asked Hodges to deny Snipes' request to travel abroad, saying he was a flight risk.

I guess the judge over-ruled them!

BTW, Wesley's new "Malcolm X-ish" look is interesting.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOO REPORTER

Sex For Gas

Posted on 7:34 AM No Comments
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With sky-high prices at the pumps, I guess this was inevitable...

From The Smoking Gun:

- JULY 2--A Kentucky woman is facing prostitution charges for allegedly trading sex for gasoline. Angela Eversole, 34, was nabbed last weekend during a police stakeout at a Days Inn, where she allegedly trysted with customer Kenneth Nowak. According to court records, Nowak admitted paying for Eversole's services, in part, with a $100 Speedway gas card. Eversole was hit with a prostitution rap and also charged with doing business without an occupational license. Nowak was charged with promoting prostitution. A local prosecutor noted that it was sad to see someone selling their body for gas, in this case about 25 gallons worth.

I want to laugh, but I'll be sympathetic instead :o) Looking closely at their mugshots above, don't they look like alternate versions of Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman? Or am I just suffering from Hancock overload?!

Read the whole report at THE SMOKING GUN.

Film Recommendation - 'Ganja And Hess'

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- Bill Gunn, the late African-American playwright, actor and film director, gave it a shot in his almost legendary Ganja & Hess, a bona fide cult film, the anti-Blacula, defiantly difficult and parochial, a vampire film in which the word itself is never used and its tropes mostly discarded. Ganja & Hess is jolting, jagged, lyrical, mythic and utterly unclassifiable, as avant-garde as the most independent film of today or any of the New American Cinema work from the 1960s or audacious studio films of the 1970s, with resonances one isn’t likely to encounter ever again.

Fellow Brooklynite, and Indie Film Blogger Brandon Harris of Cinema Echo Chamber, reviews Ganja And Hess. If you haven't seen the film yet, you really should! Read Brandon's excellent review here: GANJA AND HESS REVIEW.

Economics Of The Movie Theater - Where The Money Goes And Why It Costs Us So Much

Posted on 6:36 PM comments (6)
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Found this useful piece over at The Movie Blog.

It's a concise detailing of the money trail currently followed by the studios and theatres alike.

Each point made could be expounded on, but I think this gives you a good enough start, so give it a read: Economics Of The Movie Theater - Where The Money Goes And Why It Costs Us So Much.

Be Kanye... Or Something

Posted on 6:24 PM comments (1)
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Um... ok... Supposedly it's a viral video meant to promote Absolut Vodka. I'm not sure if that's entirely obvious.

A Little Something To Help You Along Your Way Today

Posted on 1:20 PM comments (1)
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Well, it's 2008 and Matt's back at it again! But this time he brought some friends with him - lots and lots of friends!! Glad to see the spirit of it all is contagious. I wonder if he stopped in Brooklyn...?

Do your thing Matt!


'Hancock' Closes Holiday Weekend With $105M - Box Office Results

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No surprise, Will Smith dominates yet another Independence day weekend at the box office, with Hancock raking in approximately $107 Million since its July 1st opening - according to Box Office Mojo.

So much for all the negative reviews of the film by most film critics. Prominent movie review aggregator, Rottentomatoes.com, indicates that only 36% of all critical reviews are positive. This is probably one of the few times that there has been and probably will be such a disconnect between audiences and critics, and Will Smith is to thank for that!

Now, what we'll all be watching for is whether the film has any legs. Will it continue to dominate at the box office as it's done on its opening weekend to maintain the flow of dollars in ticket sales, satisfying Sony's bottomline? Or will stiff competition from the likes of The Dark Knight (in theatres on the 18th) derail its forward movement? And let's not forget the second installment of Hellboy, (directed by a director who's popularity amongst fanboys and girls is growing rapidly - Guillermo del Toro) which will be released this Friday. Buzz for it certainly isn't as high as it is for Batman, but reviews have been really strong across the critical board, with 100% of critics at Rottentomatoes.com giving it a strong positive rating. Almost the same can be said for Journey To The Center Of The Earth, another film opening this week, and more importantly, a family sci-fi film that will attract Hancock's audience, enjoying an 86% positive critical rating.

Keep in mind that Hancock has already been released in a few foreign territories, raking in an additional $78 Million from international markets, for a grand total of just over $185 Million. Looking at box office totals for Will Smith's last 5 movies, their average global box office return is roughly $380 Million, with I Am Legend at the very top, grossing almost $600 Million globally, and Bad Boys II at $273 Million.

So, the next 2 weekends will be crucial for Hancock if it's to sit at the same table with Will's previous 5 films.

Rounding out the top 10 films for the weekend:
TITLEW/E GROSSCUMULATIVEBUDGET
2. Wall-E$33,417,000$128,132,000$180
3. Wanted$20,607,000$90,775,000$75
4. Get Smart$11,125,000$98,115,000$80
5. Kung Fu Panda$7,500,000$193,395,000$130
6. The Incredible Hulk$4,975,000$124,917,000$150
7. Indiana Jones$3,940,000$306,590,000$185
8. Kit Kittredge$3,601,000$6,128,000-
9. Sex and the City$2,340,000$144,864,000$65
10. Don't Mess with the Zohan$2,000,000$94,780,000$90

'Notorious' Script Review

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The folks at New York Magazine read and reviewed the screenplay for Notorious, the biopic for late famed rapper, Notorious B.I.G., which is currently in production, and scheduled for an early 2009 release.

Bottomline - not-so surprisingly, it's not very good; so when the finished film is released in 2009, if you plan on seeing it, go into the theatre with lowered expectations.

Here are some snippets from the New York Magazine review of the script:

- If you, despite everything, were still holding out hope that Notorious B.I.G. might get the smart, probing biopic that his legacy deserves — through the delays, the director changes, the producers' appalling decision to cast the rapper via an Internet talent search, etc. — we have some bad news: We've read the script, and we're not optimistic.

- The 113-page screenplay for Notorious (by journalist Cheo Hodari Coker) makes the unfortunate decision to pack an entire (albeit short) life into a two-hour movie. Notorious — on paper, at least — plays like a loose-knit highlight reel; it's basically the screenplay adaptation of Biggie's Wikipedia entry. (Ouch!)

Read it all here, if you dare: NOTORIOUS SCRIPT REVIEW.

Weekly Obenson Report Recap - Top 10 Hits - 6/30/08 To 7/6/08

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This seemed like a good idea... so, I'm doing it.

From now on, at the end of every week, I'll post the top 10 most popular posts of the previous week, incase anyone missed an entry or two.

Here are the 10 for the week of 6/30/08 through today, 7/6/08, in chronological order - newest first.

Script Review 'Tonight, He Comes'/'Hancock"2 comments7/5/08
Black Box Office: Mid-Year Review 7/4/08
Trailer - 'Meet Dave' (Eddie Murphy) 2 comments7/3/08
9 Ways 'Hancock' Could Have Been Better 2 comment7/2/08
So... I Saw 'Hancock' Last Night...2 comment7/2/08
How About A Can Of Booty Sweat?6 comments7/1/08
'I'm Through With White Girls' 5 comments7/1/08
Vanity Fair's Hollywood Next Wave3 comments7/1/08
'Prince Of Broadway' Wins At LAFF3 comments6/30/08
I Was Profiled For A Documentary...2 comments6/30/08

Here's to another week of news and views!

Script Review, 'Tonight, He Comes' AKA 'Hancock'

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OK! Following up with what I said in THIS POST, I just finished reading the original 226-page script for Tonight, He Comes, the screenplay that the film Hancock is based on, written by Vincent Ngo. You can get a copy of the script here: TONIGHT, HE COMES.

I should first point out that this draft was written in 1996, 12 years ago! So, it's a project that's been floating around for quite awhile. During that time period, 5 different directors have been attached to it (some big names actually, like Michael Mann and Tony Scott), and almost as many writers; although Will Smith attached himself to star in the film in 2005. So, it went through several rewrites by different writers, which, history I think will show, is often to the script's detriment.

This case does nothing to end that trend.

It’s far from a perfect script; but I must say that what I read appealed to me much moreso than the film that opened last week.

I say the script is far from perfect because it has its share of flaws – flaws that are ironically similar to those that many of us found in the finished film.

Yes, there are a few similarities between script and film, but I was surprised at how really different the combined effect of the words on the page were to what I saw on screen.

The tone and mood of the script contradict what we experience in the film, but I think it works. Hancock is a dark, brooding, tormented soul – nothing humorous about this fella. Despite his vices – he smokes and drinks heavily, spending nights in shitty dives, drowning his ills in alcohol and cigarettes, while picking up prostitutes - he has taken it upon himself to be humanity’s savior. There are moments when he flies into action, and performs superheroic acts like foiling a bank robbery attempt. But, surprisingly, those moments are very few. There’s very little of the usual “Superhero” mechanics you’d expect in a superhero story, which, I’m sure, irked the studio execs who likely preferred a little (or much) more opportunities for spectacle. After all, it is a superhero movie, right?

Not quite.

The script is as much about superheroes, as E.T. was about alien invasions. Each grandiose idea attracts you to the story, but as you read/watch, you realize that there’s a lot more going on than originally advertised.

As I already stated, Hancock is a dark, brooding, tormented soul. I’d even add mercurial to the mix. Unlike the film, he’s the ONLY one of his kind (if you’ve seen the film, or read the spoilers, you know what I’m referring to). And he’s taken it upon himself to maintain peace and order on earth (or specifically, New York, since that’s where the entire story takes place). However, his choice has become his burden. He realizes he has a “gift” (although we never really learn where he came from, or how he got his powers), and, as the saying goes, to whom much is given, much is expected, a credo that he seems to live by.

He’s certainly no Superman - the pure, practically perfect superhero - Jesus Christ in leotards and a red cape, if you will – far from it. But he believes in something – truth, justice, altruism – despite his many vices, which are exploited repeatedly within the 226-page script.

Perfect he is not.

The only coda he seems to live by, which is voiced many times over by several different characters in the script, is, “I gotta do what I gotta do.” In essence, do what you must with what you’ve got, to get what you want. Or even possibly - make the most out of the cards that life has dealt you. No complaining! No regrets!

What Hancock ultimately wants is to be free of his burden. There are a handful of dream sequences in which he’s drowning in the cries and tears of the "simple" men and women, wanting to be saved from whatever troubles ail them, but he can’t silence the noises – something akin to Deanna Troi in the Star Trek: The Next Generation television show, the telepath who’s able to sense and feel the emotions buried within others. So, when others feel pain, their sadness becomes her sadness, and there isn’t much she can do to stop it, even though sometimes she’d like to. But it’s her burden to bear… it’s her “gift”… she's "gotta do what she’s gotta do.”

Hancock wants to be saved, a request he places on Mary Longfellow, the wife of Horus Longfellow (a security guard at a local mall and all-around wimp), and mother of Aaron Longfellow (an 8-year old replica of his father, and frequent target of school bullies) – in the filmed version, these 3 characters are instead represented by the Embreys: Charlize Theron (house wife Mary), Jason Bateman (Ray, Public relations pro) and the kid who plays their son (also a target for bullies).

The Longfellows are clearly a couple of notches lower on the socio-economic ladder, relative to the middle to upper middle class Embreys. Horus almost became a “real” cop, but failed out of police academy. So he becomes the next best thing, a security guard – one lacking big enough testicles to stand up to his bully next door neighbor, who regularly steals his daily morning paper, to the dismay of Horus and Mary.

Horus is rather pathetic, and his son, Aaron, hates that his father is without a spine. Aaron himself is no tough guy either, taking after his father, allowing 3 school bullies to make his life quite miserable as they find new ways of tormenting him, usually ending in a group beating.

Mary is simply wife and mother, providing man and boy with as much emotional support as they need to survive one day after another. She is the rock that keeps the household stable – as stable as it can be in its current state, anyway.

As expected, their rather mundane lives change when their paths cross with that of Hancock’s. Whether it’s for the better or worse isn’t entirely certain to me, even after reading the script through to the end.

A common question that script readers ask screenwriters is, “what is your script REALLY about,” hinting at the fact that at the heart of every story, no matter the packaging, is some basic idea or message that guides the plot from “FADE IN” to the “FADE OUT.”

At its core, Tonight, He Comes wants to deconstruct traditional definitions of masculinity – asking age old questions like, “what does it mean to be a man?” But it doesn't quite succeed, as this theme isn't necessarily carried throughout the script, making it feel inconsistent, much like the film.

Is Hancock the ideal man? We see him, all-powerful, indestructible and confident, which breeds a certain kind of persona that women swoon over, as they throw themselves at him, even if it’s just for a night of physical pleasure, which we see happen at least twice. Yet, despite all of those “perks” as some would call them, inside, he longs to be a simple man, living a simple life, free of his “burden.”

Clearly Horus isn’t the ideal man – certainly the script doesn’t think so. Hence, while Hancock essentially longs for Horus’s kind of life, Horus wishes he had Hancock’s abilities. So, who’s really better off here? Who's the real man? Trading places wouldn’t solve their individual problems entirely, but it’s clear that both wouldn’t mind walking in the other’s shoes, even for a day. The conundrum created by this dynamic is actually quite fascinating I think, but unfortunately isn’t fully explored in the script. That alone – a besieged superhero and his desire to be human, intersecting with a wimpy human and his desire to be a superhero – could have been developed into something substantial, but the writer ignored that premise mostly, unfortunately.

What we instead get are 4 different stories that aren’t fully realized, much like the film. At the end of my reading, I wasn’t sure whose story was being told in the script. Each character got just about equal face time, but none of their individual stories develops into anything particularly interesting.

Like the movie, I was intrigued during the first half – the overall Dark Knight tone of it kept me interested. I remember imagining the city and sites as the writer described them in the script, and my mind’s eye frequently reverting to Gotham, right out of the last Batman movie - seedy, unwelcoming, Hades on earth. I loved that. It worked for me, especially given Hancock’s M.O. as I described above. For those first 60 pages, Hancock (the character) was interesting to me. I wanted to get to know him a little longer. His mercurial nature kept me wondering what was going to happen with him next.

The Longfellows in their individual roles were familiar; but their normality provided a useful contrast to Hancock’s troubled superheroics.

Also like the movie, the script loses its way in the second half. It becomes “regular,” relying on old favorites to push the story forward, which annoyed me a bit actually. It’s perplexing when a writer/filmmaker starts off with refreshing promise, building up expectations of a strong, rewarding finish, but then throws it all away in the end. The writer introduces some really interesting ideas early on that could have been explored further, but at the finish, he favors convention over invention.

Both Horus and Aaron (thanks in part to Hancock’s intrusion in their lives), finally decide to fight back against their “oppressors,” and I guess we’re supposed to cheer for them, in proverbial happy ending fashion, as each apparently becomes a man, displaying some testicular fortitude. However, Hancock is left still carrying his burden, unable to see his wish realized at the hands of Mary. So, Hancock essentially becomes the catalyst that Horus and Aaron needed to change, with Mary acting as not much more than a decoy; Horus, in a primordial way, fulfills his wish. He becomes a superhero of sorts - at least to his son.

As I said earlier, I wasn’t quite sure whose story was central. There doesn’t have to be some singular story, but having several that are half-cocked isn’t the way to go either.

As I read, I could see why this version of the script didn’t go into production. At 226 pages, it meanders too often, and carries with it other problems that I think could have been fixed in a second or third draft, while still maintaining the mood and ideas intact, creating what may have been a really strong finished product! I can see why a filmmaker like Michael Mann was intially drawn to it - just consider quietly intense films like Heat, The Insider, and Collateral, films he directed, and in 2 cases, wrote the screenplays for. Tonight, He Comes, even in its 1996 form, is right up his alley. Although, that version wouldn’t have seen the light of day. For a summer superhero movie, it’ll have been considered too profound – too philosophical/not enough action – essentially a superhero movie that’s missing one key ingredient: the superhero being superheroic. The comedic tone of Will Smith’s Hancock is likely closer to what the studio execs preferred, which is ultimately what we got, unfortunately. Although I'd like to think that a happy medium exists somewhere between both extremes.

However, in closing, if I had to choose between Hancock in 2008 and Tonight, He Comes in 1996, without hesitation, I'd choose Vincent Ngo's original script! Despite being 12 years old, it's a much more superior and ambitious package than what Sony has given us.

I hear that there might be a sequel to Hancock, if it performs well financially - especially after this opening weekend. Tomorrow's numbers will tell...

RZA Developing Martial Arts Flick

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Found this over at Slashfilm.com:

RZA has developed a martial arts film with Hollywood pal Eli Roth called "The Man with the Iron Fist," which he says has "the blessing" of his "teacher," Quentin Tarantino..."

I'm not a fan of Roth's "torture porn" movies (Hostel and others of its ilk); in fact I actually despise them immensely. And I'm not that big of a Tarantino fan either, so this doesn't really excite me much, despite RZA's involvement. Besides, there isn't much else to go on - he didn't reveal anything about plot/story.

No ETA on when this project will come to fruition, but I'll certainly be on the alert.

SOURCE: SLASHFILM

Did You Know...? The First African American Bond Girl

Posted on 12:24 PM comments (3)
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Gloria now / Gloria Then

Long before Halle literally made a splash as Jinx in Die Another Day, there was Gloria Hendry who I'm sure made a few splashes of her own in Roger Moore's pants, when she assumed Bond girl duties, as Rosie Carver, in 1973's Live and Let Die.

In that film, she became the first African American woman to be romantically involved with 007. She is NOT, however, the first African American woman to have a role in a Bond film; that honor goes to Trina Parks who had an uncredited role as a bodyguard in Diamonds Are Forever.

When Live And Let Die was first released in South Africa, Gloria Hendry's love scenes with Roger Moore were cut out because it was prohibited by the Apartheid government.

Right before shacking up with Moore, Gloria was a Playboy Bunny.

She later starred in several 1970's Blaxploitation films.

She lives in Los Angeles today.

Now you know...!

Did You Know...? Laptop Follies

Posted on 11:11 AM No Comments
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Did you know... that travelers leave 12,000 laptops in American airports every single week and only 30% of them are ever recovered?

Wow! 12,000 laptops adds up to 624,000 machines a year! That's a lot of freaking laptops being left behind! I'm having a really hard time trying to understand how that many people would be so careless. But then again, it's really just another piece of luggage, and luggage is lost from time to time, although I've never be so unlucky.

And how is it that only 30% are ever recovered? If I get to my destination and eventually realize that I don't have my laptop, especially if I know I had it when I was at the airport in the city I left, I would immediately call that airport's lost and found department with the hopes of getting the damn thing back.

The article states that "most of the airports said they generally keep the laptops for some period of times, then destroy them if they are unclaimed." Really? Do they really destroy them? All of them? 12,000 laptops every week, with 30% going unclaimed, or about 3600 laptops? That's 187,200 unclaimed laptops every single year. And they really expect us to believe that all 187,200 of them are being destroyed! Come on! I'd bet a few of those babies are finding their way into the homes of some of the airport staff!

Actually, instead of destroying them, maybe they should be donated to those who could really use them, and who likely won't forget them at airports! Yes, I know, there's the privacy issue. As the article states, "Sixty-five percent of the business travelers admit that they do not take steps to protect the confidential information contained on their laptops when traveling on business." So, donating would first require a complete formatting of each machine, wiping each hard drive clean, in order to protect the privacy of the previous owners.

But even the erasure process requires that someone, likely an employee of the airport, or the FAA, would have to gain access to the hard drive within the laptop, which could mean a violation of the original owners privacy anyway.

If all 187,200 laptops are indeed being destroyed, that just seems like a waste to me. I'm sure the parts are being recycled, which is a good thing, but I'd like to see them (at least some) donated to those people who can't afford computers, especially since they have become so much a part of our everyday lives.

SOURCE: THE CONSUMERIST

A Cloudy, Somber Saturday Morning In New York City...

Posted on 10:59 AM comments (1)
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This put a little smile on my face..

Black Box Office: Mid-Year Review

Posted on 2:47 PM No Comments
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As we begin the second half of the year, I thought I'd take a quick look at how we've done at the box office so far. When I say "how we've done," of course I'm referring to how black films (those that enjoyed theatrical releases anyway) have performed from January to June of this year. How am I defining "black film?" For this purpose, I'm including only those films that primarily tell the stories of people of the African Diaspora.

Looking down the list of films that have enjoyed theatrical releases this year, with Box Office Mojo as my source, there have been just 6 films that fit my above criteria - 6 out of roughly 300, or about 2% of all films that were released theatrically in America for the first 6 months of 2008.

And those lucky films are: First Sunday, College Road Trip, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Meet The Browns, Redbelt, and How She Move.

College Road Trip (Martin Lawrence) scored the highest in ticket sales, pulling in $45,218,566, followed closely by another Martin Lawrence starrer in Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, which made $42,193,500 during its entire run.

And right behind Roscoe is Tyler Perry's Meet The Browns, with $41,975,388 in ticket sales.

Rounding out the list are the remaining 3: First Sunday (Ice Cube) banked $37,931,869; How She Move managed $7,070,641, which isn't bad considering that it was a small-time affair, starring a group of unknowns. And finally Redbelt (Chiwetel Ejiofor) raked in $2,342,445 (I actually reviewed the film on this blog: REDBELT REVIEW).

So, there you have it! A ridiculous 6 films out of 300 (2%), released during the first 6 months of 2008, and every single one of them exists somewhere between "garbage" and "average," although I'd say most fall closer towards the former.

The marginalization continues, although we are certainly not helping ourselves either. And so I'm not surprised by the results. For the remaining 6 months of the year, the forecast doesn't change very much, which means be prepared for more harsh times ahead!

Should you care? I certainly hope you do. When you're invisible, you don't matter, and when you don't matter, your life has little to no value - a statement with widespread significance.

I suppose the expected segue here would be for me to rant about "what's wrong with black cinema," who's doing or not doing what and why, etc... But I won't, because it's all rather pointless and useless now, in my humble opinion. I've already done all of that, and, as far as I'm concerned, it's time to stop bitching and start acting! I think we can all agree that more will be accomplished by doing the latter.

So, what can you do, you ask? Well, go see some independent black cinema this summer, instead of filling your head up entirely with the usual Hollywood spectacle. I've been slacking on updating my Screening Sightings blog because I spend so much time on this one! Throw in the time I allocate to other writing projects on my agenda, and I'm left without even seconds to devote to ScreeningSightings.com. I will get to it shortly however, so hang in there. But that's no excuse. There are likely a few microcinema screenings happening in your city; you may just have to do a little research to find out where they are, especially since most are without hefty marketing budgets. And as always, do notify me of any screenings in your town so that I can add them to the site's listings.

Happy weekend to all!

"Little Jesse" Has Left Us... Finally!

Posted on 1:02 PM comments (1)
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So... As I'm sure you've heard - Jesse Helms died today at age 86.

Are those champagne bottles I hear popping!?

Indeed... indeed...

Happy Day Off! Or As Some Like To Call It - Independence Day.

Posted on 11:45 AM comments (1)
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Not much to report on today for obvious reasons...

Trailer - 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' (Co-Starring Will Smith's Son)

Posted on 10:06 PM comments (1)
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Just spotted the trailer for yet another end-of-world/alien attack/disaster movie - we sure love those don't we. You know what they say about willing something to happen...

This time it's a remake (we sure love those too, don't we) of the 1951 sci-fi movie of the same name - The Day The Earth Stood Still - starring the automaton known as Keanu Reeves that tells the story of a humanoid alien (the appropriately cast Reeves) who comes to Earth to warn its leaders not to take their conflicts into space, or face likely devastating consequences. Altogether now... Ooooohhhh... spoooooky!

The film also stars Jennifer Connelly, and (drum roll) Jaden Smith, the 9-year old son of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith, playing the role of stepson to Jennifer Connelly's character. Interesting!

You'll spot the little tiger in 2 or 3 different moments in the trailer, displaying more emotional range than pops ever has! Jokes... just jokes... that's all.

Here's the trailer for the film which hits theatres December 12, which by the way is the same day that Big Willie's second film this year, Seven Pounds, also will reach a theatre near you... the competition begins:

'Hancock' And Its "Iffy Racial Subtexts"

Posted on 9:06 PM No Comments
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Ok... I know... I'm overloading you with all my Hancock posts. What can I say, it's the topic du jour, and stars the biggest box office draw of this century, who, by the way, happens to be black!

Don't worry, the noise will eventually fade out. But based on the outrageously high number of hits that this blog has received in the last 2 weeks, since I posted the spoiler review - 90% of them from Google searches for the film or various amalgamations of terms and phrases including the film's title - it's clear that Hancock mania has taking over the world, and probably won't start to die out until The Dark Knight's release date arrives!

I found this conversation between two WIRED Magazine writers, discussing the film and its merits. What caught my eye instantly was this sentence: "... this movie could be read as a white power fantasy about the successful containment of black masculinity."

Of course I had to read on, so I did. And you can too, by simply clicking here -> WIRED On Hancock.

Judge Orders YouTube: Turn Over All User Data To Viacom

Posted on 8:31 PM No Comments
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Incase you haven't heard... if you've ever watched a YouTube video (who hasn't) you may want to read this...

From WIRED Magazine:

- Google will have to turn over every record of every video watched by YouTube users, including users' names and IP addresses, to Viacom, which is suing Google for allowing clips of its copyright videos to appear on YouTube, a judge ruled Wednesday. Viacom wants the data to prove that infringing material is more popular than user-created videos, which could be used to increase Google's liability if it is found guilty of contributory infringement. Viacom filed suit against Google in March 2007, seeking more than $1 billion in damages for allowing users to upload clips of Viacom's copyright material. Google argues that the law provides a safe harbor for online services so long as they comply with copyright takedown requests. Although Google argued that turning over the data would invade its users' privacy, the judge's ruling (.pdf) described that argument as "speculative" and ordered Google to turn over the logs on a set of four tera-byte hard drives.

The rest at WIRED.

Spike Lee To Film Broadway's 'Passing Strange'

Posted on 8:02 PM comments (1)
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Not quite what I was expecting, but I suppose this will have to do for now. When I read the headline on Entertainment Weekly's website, I was hoping that the article following the link would state that Spike was adapting the Broadway stage musical for the theatrical film screen. Alas, that's not exactly the case. It's more like a recording of the stage production, as it's being performed - like a filmed concert essentially. I guess it's for those people who'd like to see Passing Strange but don't live in New York, or just can't afford to pay the pricey theatre tickets.

If you've never heard of Passing Strange, CLICK HERE to catch up, and then read the article below.

From Entertainment Weekly:

- Spike Lee is going to Broadway. The Oscar-nominated writer/director will be spending part of his July filming the Tony-winning production Passing Strange. Lee will film the musical by singer/songwriter Stew over the course of a weekend, shooting two shows with audiences and then a third one without. (He did a similar thing with his 2000 concert film The Original Kings of Comedy.) Passing Strange's producers are financing the production, and while no distribution deal has been set, sources believe it will air on cable television upon completion. The musical centers on a young black musician who sets off on a journey to find "the real" after being raised in a church-going middle-class Los Angeles neighborhood. It was originally developed at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab.

Trailer - 'Meet Dave' (Eddie Murphy, Gabrielle Union)

Posted on 4:17 PM comments (2)
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I didn't realize this had been circulating around the blogosphere for some time already. I hadn't seen it until today, so I'm posting it for those who haven't seen it either.

The film is called Meet Dave (formerly known as Starship Dave). The plot: In busy New York's Central Park a massive fireball crash lands, with a man emerging unscathed. He's Dave (Eddie Murphy), a human-shaped spaceship controlled by 100 little aliens. Its captain (also played by Murphy) pilots the Dave Spaceship along with his crew from inside its head. The aliens are seeking a way to save their planet, however complications arise when Dave falls in love... with a white woman (cue dramatic crescendo here).

The film opens July 11th. Will I see it? Umm... No!! I think this one's for the little kiddies.

Here's the trailer for the $100 Million film, starring the no-longer-retiring Eddie Murphy and Gabrielle Union. Given the budget, might this be another Pluto Nash?:

Thursday Funnies - P Diddy Is Happier Than A Mutha***** About Hancock!

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I should start calling these Diddy posts, The Diddy Chronicles... or borrowing from Invisible Woman and her Terrence Watch, I could call it P Diddy Watch. I think I like The Diddy Chronicles better ;o)

Anyway, so P Diddy is waxing philosophic again, and you know what that means, right? Thunderous laughter!! Not because the things he says are always funny, or meant to be, but rather because Diddy is just funny without even trying to be. So, I guess I'm not laughing with him as much as I am laughing AT him!

This time, the subject of his affections is Hancock, the Will Smith movie (what else, right), as he laments on the plight of the black superhero.

The video clip follows below, but here are a few tasty quotes from the horses mouth:

- "It's 2000 and muthafuckin' 8, and shit is changing, y'know. Black man is on the rise; it's a beautiful thing. I went to a premiere last night of Hancock, and we got a BLACK MUTHAFUCKIN' SUPERHERO and I'm HAPPIER THAN A MUTHAFUCKA!"
- "Hancock bitches! HANCOCK!"
- "I feel proud that my kids can go see a superhero who looks like them... because we got a black superhero and his muthafuckin' name is Hancock... BITCH!"

I wonder if maybe Diddy missed the part about Hancock being a drunken, foul-mouthed, self-destructive loser who's in love with a white woman! And yes, the capitalized words mean that he was yelling when he uttered them.

"HANCOCK BITCHES!" Ok Diddy. Alright now kid.

Here's the video:

Say It Ain't So Hollywood - A Tim Russert Movie?

Posted on 1:36 PM No Comments
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If I believed that there is indeed a God, I'd pray that he/she/it strikes down those insensitive pricks who thought this would be a good idea. Even worse is that the man died JUST less than a month ago! I'm sure they'll butter it up, and package it as some kind of tribute to his life and work, but I won't buy it. This is simply yet another attempt to capitalize on one man and one family's tragedy. The fact that they actually have the balls to announce it so soon after the fact, in the midst of the public and media frenzy that followed Russert's death, and that still lingers on, tells me how devious and calculating the producers of the idea are. Any publicity is good publicity, I suppose... Bleh!

From Defamer.com:

- What took Hollywood so long? Tim Russert died on June 13th and they're only just now announcing plans to make a movie about his life? On July 2nd? Come on, people, that's 19 days. Used to be a movie like that would get announced under a week after the tragedy. Summer must be making everyone lazy.

In any case, we managed to stumble upon a curious casting call on Craigslist which tipped us off to the Russert biopic. The headline reads: "Casting Older Caucasian Woman for Major TV Network Movie." The ad goes on to explain that a "small independent New York based film company is searching for the role of Maureen Orth, the wife of the late Tim Russert. The film will explore the last 24 hours of Russert's life and Golden Globe winner Randy Quaid is set to play the role of Tim Russert."

The rest at DEFAMER.

Original 'Hancock' Screenplay!

Posted on 12:15 PM comments (7)
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You can read my thorough analysis of the script here: TONIGHT, HE COMES SCRIPT REVIEW. I actually liked the script more than I did the movie.

Thanks to Sergio for the heads up on this!

What we've got here is the original 126-page script for Hancock, initially titled, Tonight, He Comes.

The film in its release form is roughly 90 minutes long. The original Vincent Ngo-written script is 126 pages. For those of you who went to film school, or know a few things about the relationship between the written word and the visual image, you'd immediately notice the discrepancy here! In short, one industry standard page of a screenplay is equivalent to 1 minute of screen time. Obviously that formular isn't entirely exact, but if you compared most completed films with their screenplays, you'd notice that, for example, a 90-page screenplay will almost always produce a 90-minute film, or thereabouts.

In Hancock's case, we've got a 126-page screenplay, but ended up with a 90-minute film, which immediately indicates that a solid 30+ minutes was gutted somewhere in the production process, and I am certainly interested in knowing what that 30-minutes contained!

Skimming the pages of the script, I immediately noticed several differences from the film I saw - notably the use of profanity. As we already know, Sony wanted to deliver a PG13-rated movie, not an R-rated rump, hence all the reshooting we heard about (You can read my post on that HERE, in which director Peter Berg was quoted as saying about a previous incarnation of the film, "Hancock has remained surprisingly sexual, violent and true in spirit to an original script that was viewed as brilliant but unmakable.").

This should be an interesting read. I plan on going through the entire script this weekend, and I'll post my thoughts on it afterwards, making comparisons between what was written and what was filmed.

Courtesy of Hollywood Elsewhere, here's a link to the PDF script (get it while it's hot): TONIGHT, HE COMES.

'The Wackness' Is Wack!

Posted on 11:23 AM No Comments
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Living in New York City, it's nearly impossible to avoid ads for the 2008 Sundance Audience Award winner, The Wackness, an upcoming 2008 comedy by Jonathan Levine, reaching theatres in the U.S. today.

The plot: It’s the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip hop and wafting with the aroma of marijuana. The newly-inaugurated mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, is only beginning to implement his initiatives against crimes such as noisy portable radio, graffiti and public drunkenness. The film centers upon a troubled high school student named Luke Shapiro - a teenage marijuana dealer who forms a friendship with Dr. Jeffrey Squires (played by Sir Ben Kingsley), a psychiatrist and kindred lost soul. When the doctor proposes Luke trade him marijuana for therapy sessions, the two begin to explore both New York City and their own depression.

It co-stars Method Man as "an armed body guard totting Jamaican pot distributor from Queens" (bad accent and all) and features a soundtrack with music that helped define a generation - including cuts from the likes of Nas (his seminal Illmatic CD), to "Can I Kick It" by Tribe Called Quest, to "Flava In Ya Ear" (Craig Mack), Just A Friend (Biz Markie), Bump N' Grind (R Kelly), and even Summertime (Dj Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince).

Everytime I see the film's trailer or a poster for it, I feel myself getting annoyed. I usually just shake my head, sigh, and either quickly change whatever channel I was watching, or walk briskly past the city wall on which the poster hangs.

I can go into the myriad of reasons why I react the way I do (the title alone when closely considered is a good place to start), but Brandon Harris over at CinemaEchoChamber sums it all up quite nicely. He was brave enough to see the film, and wrote a review about it.

Here's a snippet:

- "The carefully molded world of the movie is one of its major selling points for a large portion of the target youth audience that geriatric seeming Sony Pictures Classics is hoping it can lure with this sweet and sugary, yet oddly colorless summer of 94’ hip-hop fantasia. From the desaturated hues of its early and middle passages to the alabaster pallor of almost its entire cast, this movie is lily white, regardless of how many Nas, Biggie and Wu-Tang Clan songs can get stuffed into the final mix. Its no surprise the only black participant in this black culturally infused movie is Meth (Method Man), making a mockery of himself, the gentle irony of his actual voice on a Wu-Tang song playing in the background of his silly scenes here just another reminder of the spirit and verisimilitude that the film, despite best efforts, isn’t able to extract from its antecedents."

Read Brandon's entire review HERE.

Here's the annoying trailer:

Vondie Curtis Hall, Denzel Whitaker, Xzibit In "Bad Lieutenant" Remake

Posted on 10:32 AM comments (1)
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I actually haven't seen the original 1992 version of Bad Lieutenant, directed by Abel Ferrara, and staring Harvey Keitel. It's one of those films I usually overlook when looking for movies to rent/buy. Something about Harvey Keitel's performances bug me... not quite sure what it is, but I've never really cared for most films I've seen him in, and the obvious common denominator is that he's in all of them. I'm sure he's a fine actor and gentleman, but ehhh...

Anyway... German filmmaker Werner Herzog seems to think he can improve on the original Bad Lieutenant, since he's "re-imagining" it for 21st century screens, with Nicolas Cage as the self-loathing police officer with various addictions. Included in the lengthy list of actors assuming roles in the film are: Vondie Curtis Hall, Denzel Whitaker (the chubby kid from The Great Debaters), and rapper-turned-actor Xzibit, who's quite busy these days in front of the camera with roles in 3 features over the next 12 months, notable the upcoming X-Files movie sequel. Does he still host MTV's Pimp My Ride series? Probably not, I'd expect. I'm not sure what roles all three gentlemen will play in Herzog's film, but one article does say that Xzibit will be a criminal.

For those not familiar with the story, in Bad Lieutenant, the titular character (Cage in this case/Keitel in the original) investigates the rape of a nun and uses this as a chance to confront his personal demons on the road to eventual redemption. Obviously, it's more complicated than that, but you can always rent the original and watch it. I'll be doing that, likely this weekend. I've certainly avoided it long enough...

Here's the trailer for the Abel Ferrara/Harvey Keitel version:




SOURCE

More On Hammer's Self-Distribution Of 'Ballast'

Posted on 9:44 AM No Comments
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The plight of the indie filmmaker is one that has been discussed in various forms on this blog since inception. And the distribution issue is often at the center of such discussions.

That Lance Hammer, writer/director of Ballast, a film I've mentioned a few times on this blog, withdrew from the deal offered to him by IFC Films in order to maintain control of his film in the marketplace, was a really bold move - something that I doubt most first-time indie filmmakers would have the guts to even consider. Distribution is enough of a challenge with the backing of an established entity like IFC (owned by Cablevision), and it's exponentially more difficult when the filmmaker opts to drive the ship virtually solo.

I just read this article on indieWIRE posted this morning that talks about Hammer's prospects now that he's sans IFC's support. It's a worthwhile read, and certainly encouraging for other indie filmmakers, I think, especially those planning to follow Hammer's path. Not that he's doing anything new, because he isn't. Many before him have traversed down this very same path - some were successful; others weren't so much. And so it goes...

Here are some poignant snippets from the article, which I recommend everyone read:

- "IFC is a really good company," Hammer told indieWIRE last week. "The problem is the larger issue that's plaguing every filmmaker right now: The distributors don't really offer any money. That's not that big of a deal if they would allow you to have control of your project, but they don't."
- If the current art-house climate isn't challenging enough, Hammer's decision highlights the harsh reality for indie filmmakers: distribution advances, or "minimum guarantees," barely ever recoup a film's budget. Hammer says conventional distribution advances for a small film like "Ballast" range between $25,000-$50,000. "If you made a $50,000 project, that makes sense," Hammer said. "If you happen to spend more money than that, it becomes difficult to justify giving up creative control."
- "It may be a total financial failure," Hammer admitted. "But if I were to go with one of the established distributors, it'd be certain that I'd lose all my money. But if try it myself, aligning myself with very experienced, creative people, there's a chance that it won't be a failure. And then I can prove that I've done it once and I can do it again. And more importantly, other filmmakers like me can do it, too."

Word!

Read the entire article at INDIREWIRE.COM.
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