MetaFilter posts tagged with Hollywood

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a messiah figure!

Doktor Zed — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:39:52 -0800

Although the new Superman movie by Zack Snyder (previously) has put off critics with its appropriation of 9/11 imagery and riled fans with its revision of the superhero's moral code, Warner Bros. Studios is hoping Man of Steel will win over the Christian market. In interviews, Snyder is talking up "Christ-like parallels" in his reboot of the character created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. For those who'd like something more theologically grounded, the studio's marketing department is offering sermon notes entitled "JESUS - THE ORIGINAL SUPERHERO" [PDF] by Dr. Craig Detweiler, M. Div., and organizing free pastor screenings through faith-based PR firm Grace Hill Media. They aren't the first, however, to notice similarities between Jesus and Superman (among other popular cultural figures).

If actors are cattle, then child actors are veal.

Cash4Lead — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:56:36 -0800

7 Reasons Child Stars Go Crazy (An Insider's Perspective). Mara Wilson (previously) explains, and is interviewed by NPR on the subject.

A cursed superhero never sells as well as a guardian superhero

Charlemagne In Sweatpants — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:12:41 -0800

The same kind of numbers analysis that has reshaped areas like politics and online marketing is increasingly being used by the entertainment industry. "A chain-smoking former statistics professor named Vinny Bruzzese – "the reigning mad scientist of Hollywood", in the words of one studio customer – has started to aggressively pitch a service he calls "script new evaluation". For as much as $US20,000 per script, Bruzzese and a team of analysts compare the story structure and genre of a draft script with those of released movies, looking for clues to box-office success." His research has lead to conclusions like "If it's a targeting demon, you are likely to have much higher opening-weekend sales than if it's summoned. So get rid of that ouija board scene." and "Bowling scenes tend to pop up in films that fizzle"

Holocaust Denial Goes Hollywood

Cash4Lead — Mon, 06 May 2013 06:39:52 -0800

Until a few weeks ago, David Stein was known mainly as a maker of documentaries on the Holocaust for schools and as the man behind Republican Party Animals, a social club for conservatives in film and television. Then it was revealed that Stein is actually David Cole, who achieved notoriety in the 1990s for arguing that the Holocaust wasn't as horrible as it is claimed to have been. Moreover, while Stein's documentaries have reflected the consensus position on the Holocaust, he says he still has doubts: "The best guess is yes, there were gas chambers. But there is still a lot of murkiness about the camps." His former associates, meanwhile, are distancing themselves from him as fast as possible: "The reason we were all so pissed at him," according to one of them, "is it plays into every horrible stereotype about the right."

Soderbergh on Cinema

Artw — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:52:00 -0800

The problem is that cinema, as I define it and as something that inspired me, is under assault by the studios and, from what I can tell, with the full support of the audience. The reasons for this, in my opinion, are more economic than philosophical, but when you add an ample amount of fear and lack of vision and a lack of leadership you’ve got a trajectory that is pretty difficult to reverse. - "Retired" director Steven Soderbergh speaks to the San Francisco International Film Festival about the state of cinema - (summary, full audio at bottom of page 2)

"Sexism is over!"

Andrhia — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:12:30 -0800

An Orange Prize nominee speaks out about her experience as a woman in literature: weakened titles, pink covers, snubbed for reviews. In other industries: the developers of Last of Us had to specifically request that women be used in focus group testing, which strongly suggests it's a routine practice in the industry. In TV, Matt Lauer has reportedly nixed hiring female producers because he doesn't want to feel like he's "at Lilith Fair." An attempt to address the gender disparity in the board room may be stalling.

Using the F-word in PG-13/12A movies

reenum — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 20:05:08 -0800

Den of Geek looks at the MPAA rule that a PG-13 movie can contain only one utterance of the word "fuck".

Prequels! Hunh! Yeah! What are they good for? Absolutely...something

fuse theorem — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:31:43 -0800

Having mixed feelings about the new movie prequel to The Wizard of Oz? [previously] Well how about new prequels to other film classics such as Gone with the Wind and Dr. Strangelove? Or, try to imagine Casablanca: The College Years. For your consideration: movie posters for pretend prequels to five film classics, featuring several of Hollywood's current darlings.

It is not a true story

MartinWisse — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 03:20:04 -0800

"If nothing else, "Argo" is an exercise in American exceptionalism - perhaps the most dangerous fiction that permeates our entire society and sense of identity. It reinvents history in order to mine a tale of triumph from an unmitigated defeat. The hostage crisis, which lasted 444 days and destroyed an American presidency, was a failure and an embarrassment for Americans. The United States government and media has spent the last three decades tirelessly exacting revenge on Iran for what happened." -- Nima Shirazi explains what's wrong with Argo's depiction of the Iranian hostage crisis.

Every building is made out of rocket launchers.

sweetkid — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:07:59 -0800

6 Insane Stereotypes That Movies Can't Seem to Get Over. Cracked.com list of overused, tired and offensive stereotypes of Africa, Asians, women, and more that frequently pop up in mainstream films. "Imagine if every single movie set in America was filmed in Alaska and focused on gang violence -- that's how Africans feel every time they watch a Hollywood movie about warlords fighting in the desert. Which is a problem for their tourism industry: A board member for the Association for the Promotion of Tourism to Africa even takes the time to explain that there are "middle class people in every African country commuting to work every day, complaining about taxes and watching their kids play soccer every weekend." That's right: Instead of focusing on the rich wildlife and history, the tourism industry actually has to remind people that coming to their country isn't a fucking death warrant."

It Wasn't Just Spielberg

timsteil — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 12:25:46 -0800

"The members of TVTV (Top Value Television), the 1970s guerrilla video group I cofounded, were among the first to exploit the then brand-new portable video camera. We took them to big events and turned the cameras away from the spectacle and on to the people; almost no one had seen one before, and there were no rules about how to use them, or act in front of them..." Behind the Scenes With Jack Nicholson, Lily Tomlin and Michael Douglas at the 1976 Academy Awards.

Red Carpet, Green Screen

Artw — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 11:15:46 -0800

Without visual effects the average blockbuster movie would look like this. However as Hollywood comes under financial pressure they are putting the squeeze on the VFX industry that they rely on, who are in turn passing the pressure onto workers. Now VFX workers are organizing a protest in time for the Oscars, which will be celebrating visual effects as the companies responsible for them close down. * VFX Soldier Commentary On The Visual Effects Industry's March To The Bottom * The Meteor Studios class-action suit, a previous success of David Rand who is involved with organizing the protest. * Losing Our Share of the Pi * Effects Corner Insights to Visual Effects for Motion Pictures and Television * IATSE, the VFX union * Threats fly over Hobbit document release

The Channing Tatum America Didn't Know It Needed

psoas — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 09:54:34 -0800

Performers who project relatability but have nothing elusive about them do better as network-television stars, or maybe morning-show anchormen. (Exception: Hanks.) On the other hand, if all you're capable of projecting is mystery and you're a quart low on relatability, you are probably a douchebag. (Exception: Fassbender.)

Just in time for the Oscars, GQ ruminates on what makes a leading man today.

When Nikita met Marilyn

madamjujujive — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:01:12 -0800

Khrushchev Tours America - His shoe banging incident at the UN and the the Kitchen Debates with Nixon are well known but less attention has been given to the time Nikita Khrushchev went to Hollywood. He met Marilyn Monroe and other film luminaries but he was denied a trip to Disneyland (previously). More: Photos from the trip Nikita Khrushchev: Between black & white - interesting biog video President Kennedy and Khrushchev - silent footage

Name 5 female directors. Go!

crossoverman — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 20:04:38 -0800

I’ve Spent 12 Years Surrounded by Hollywood Peen. Where Are the Women Directors?

Schmucks with Underwoods

Artw — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:17:28 -0800

Vanity fair on the rise and fall and possible rise again of the spec script.

Screenwriters on screenwriting

dobbs — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:57:20 -0800

The Q&A With Jeff Goldsmith is an irregularly released podcast where Mr. Goldsmith interviews, at length (each episode runs an hour or more), working Hollywood and foreign screenwriters. The most recent episode is a panel conversation with the year's Oscar-nominated screenwriters. You can listen to the podcasts on his site or subscribe in iTunes or on Android.

Goldsmith is also the publisher of the terrific screenwriting magazine Backstory--currently only available for the iPad but coming (eventually) to the web and Android. You can download the first issue (which is wonderful, and contains full length scripts along with the interviews and stories) for free.

The Rules Of The Game

The Whelk — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:41:03 -0800

Anne Helen Petersen, the voice behind "Scandals Of Classic Hollywood" (previously) and "doctor of celebrity gossip" gives us an academic rundown of the hows and whys of the last hundred years of Hollywood Star Making, celebrity, PR, marketing, fandom, and scandal management.

The world is a better place with you in it, Clarice

mudpuppie — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:24:53 -0800

At last night's Golden Globe Awards, actress Jodie Foster was presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement award. During her speech, the notoriously private actress touched on the very notion of privacy, her sexuality, and the difficulty of being a public person with a normal life. Reactions have been mixed. Jodie Foster's speech at the Golden Globes spoke volumes about how difficult coming out still is for many public figures Why Jodie Foster's Golden Globes Speech Was So Infuriating Jodie Foster’s carefully calibrated coming-out speech is hailed by many in gay community Jodie Foster's bizarre elegy for privacy Jodie Foster's glass closet LGBT Advocates Applaud, Cringe and Praise Jodie Foster Coming Out

Initializing Motivation Protocol

Fuzzy Monster — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:54:46 -0800

"It's amazing what can be done with nothing more than a computer, time and a boatload of talent." R'ha is a short film created in seven months by aspiring director Kaleb Lechowski, 22.

Lost in The Canyons

Horace Rumpole — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:04:28 -0800

Here Is What Happens When You Cast Lindsay Lohan in Your Movie. The movie in question is The Canyons, the Kickstarter-funded erotic thriller written by Bret Easton Ellis and directed by Paul Schrader. There's no release date yet, but the film does have several retro-themed trailers.

"If we could build a fourteen-foot-tall alien queen, we’d be able to build a twenty-foot-tall T-rex"

cthuljew — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 07:53:16 -0800

Sculpting a Full-Size Dinosaur at Stan Winston Studio‬

6 Auteurs on Tantrums, Crazy Actors, and Quitting While They're Ahead

starman — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:46:14 -0800

The Directors Roundtable: Quentin Tarantino, David O. Russell, Ben Affleck, Ang Lee, Tom Hooper, and Gus Van Sant. Full video. (YouTube version)

"...the first decade of the 21st century can be viewed as a singularly male-dominated era in American cinema."

zarq — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:42:41 -0800

New York Times Magazine "Hollywood Issue": Hollywood’s Year of Heroine Worship. Accompanied by an online web series of 13 original, short films: Wide Awake, each starring an actress whose performance helped 'define the year in film.' The shorts were directed by fine-art photographer Tierney Gearon. Behind the Scenes. Photo slideshow: Hollywood Heroines. Q&A with A.O. Scott. Mentioned in his article: The Bechdel Test Previously on MeFi, Michael Calleri and the Niagara Falls Reporter

For heaven's sake

mediated self — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 11:54:09 -0800

Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate (YT) Other parts: 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Previously.