Weinsteins start upscale DVD label
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Bob and Harvey Weinstein have already made their mark on Hollywood.
Now, the former Miramax Films chiefs are bent on leaving their imprint on the DVD business as well, with a premium label they hope will rival the prestigious Criterion Collection or Warner Home Video's extravagant collector's editions of such marquee films as "Gone With the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz."
The Miriam Collection, named after the brothers' mother, launched in late January with the release of one of the last great epics not previously available on DVD, Anthony Mann's "El Cid."
The second release is another Mann film, "The Fall of the Roman Empire," a lavish 1961 production starring Alec Guinness, Sophia Loren and Omar Sharif. The film earned its place in the record books for the largest outdoor set in Hollywood history: more than 55 acres, with a reconstructed Roman Forum.
The film comes to DVD on April 29 from Genius Products, the independent DVD distribution company majority owned by the Weinsteins.
"The Miriam Collection is a very personal selection of films," Harvey Weinstein said. "The brand is not only about remastering films for the best picture and sound but also to showcase the backstory of each film and develop compelling features that complement the title."
Weinstein said he and his brother plan to pick 12-15 films for branded release each year, ranging from such big productions as "El Cid," "Roman Empire," "Circus World" and "55 Days at Peking" to niche titles like "The Deal," a British TV movie from "The Queen" director Stephen Frears.
Weinstein clearly relishes being able to play kingmaker and give deserving films the true DVD VIP treatment a la the fabled Criterion Collection.
"'The Fall of the Roman Empire,' for example, is fully loaded," Weinstein said. "It looks and sounds astonishing, and the bonus materials fully explore the sheer magnitude and grandeur of making a film of this scale in a time long before the advent of CGI."
Indeed, the Weinsteins' DVD version of "Roman Empire" will come in an elegantly packaged three-disc edition. Extras include a commentary by Bill Bronston, son of producer Samuel Bronston, and film expert Mel Martin; a reproduction of the original 1964 souvenir program; a behind-the-scenes look at the fall of the real Roman Empire; a detailed "making of" documentary; five Encyclopedia Britannica featurettes on the Roman Empire; and a set of six color production stills.
Genie awards show ignores "Juno"
TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - Any film awards show overlooks good movies. But among the glaring omissions at next Monday's Genies, Canada's version of the Oscars, is "Juno." The box office smash was shot in Vancouver by a Canadian director, Jason Reitman.
The comedy about a 16-year-old girl's pregnant path to enlightenment stars Ellen Page and Michael Cera, both also Canadian.
Don't blame Genie voters for the snub. The rule book requires that some of a film's production budget must come from Canada for it to be deemed a Canadian film.
Because L.A.-based Mandate Pictures developed and financed "Juno" and Fox Searchlight released the comedy, the Genies considers the film American and thus ineligible for competition.
Canada's film awards really falls down the rabbit hole into Wonderland when you consider that "Eastern Promises," a British film about a Russian mob family in London, and directed by hired-gun Canadian David Cronenberg, will contend for best Canadian film at the Genies.
Reitman, attending a pre-Oscars luncheon at the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles last week, told reporters he was puzzled by the selection process.
"It's a Canadian director, Canadian stars, Canadian cast, Canadian crew, shot in Canada -- how are we not eligible for a Genie when David Cronenberg's film about Russians living in London shot in England with a British crew and British cast is eligible? I'm sorry, but somebody is going to have to explain that to me; I don't get it," he said, with proud father Ivan Reitman at his side.
Well, "Eastern Promises" is a British film. But because the film's co-producer, Toronto-based Serendipity Point Films, steered enough Canadian subsidies to make up about 20% of Cronenberg's production budget, the Genies dipped "Eastern Promises" in maple syrup and gave it 12 nominations.
The message: Leave it to other awards shows to honor filmmaking excellence, whatever its origins. The Genies celebrate government support.
New Eminem book to detail his thoughts
NEW YORK - Eminem is working on a book that's "every bit as raw and uncensored as the man himself," according to his publisher.
Dutton Books, an imprint of The Penguin Group, announced Wednesday that it would be publishing the best-selling rapper's "The Way I Am" this fall.
"It will be illustrated with never-before-seen photographs of Eminem's home and life along with original drawings," Dutton said in a statement.
The rapper's spokesman, Dennis Dennehy, said the memoir "is still in the process of being written and edited."
The book was described as an intimate look inside the life of Eminem, who has sold tens of millions of records since he made his provocative debut in 1999.
"Offering a window on the star's private thoughts on everything from his music and the trials of fame to his love for his daughter, Hailie, this title is every bit as raw and uncensored as the man himself," Dutton said.
The Grammy and Academy Award-winning rapper has published one other book, "Angry Blonde." The 2002 work detailed his lyrics.
Eminem has not released a new album since 2004's "Encore," and his representative said there's no CD scheduled to be released from the rapper at this time.
Rock Band knock-off announced for Wii, DS
Disney on Wednesday announced Ultimate Band for Wii and DS, no peripherals required (but isn't that part of the fun?).
"Disney is working with some of the very biggest names in rock, alternative, popular, emo and indie rock music, allowing band mates to play sets from a broad selection of current hits and all-time rock favorites," says a presser. "Friends and families can rock out on guitar, bass, drums or as the front man."
Ultimate Band will exclusively use either the Wii remote or DS stylus when hitting on screen notes. Without the use of a microphone, however, we wonder if the "front man" will merely play the tambourine, or better still, the cowbell.
Sadly, a list of licensed tracks were missing from today's announcement, but Disney says the included songs are "instantly-recognizable.. from every decade since the 60s." The game is slated for a 2008 holiday release on Wii and DS.
More rhythm games can only be a good thing, but we'll keep our expectations low until we learn more about Ultimate Band.
'70s is the go-to decade for comedy
NEW YORK - Platform shoes, leisure suits, fondue, fro picks. What used to be cool is now the stuff of comedy.
When it comes to period comedies, the `70s are the equivalent of Victorian era costume drama. While serious-minded filmmakers are forever reaching back to the time of royalty clad in waistcoats and dressing gowns, comedians are more likely to cull from the less halcyon days of disco and sideburns.
Will Ferrell is again mining the decade with "Semi-Pro," a movie in theaters Friday about a fictional ABA basketball team, otherwise realistically set in the `70s. Ferrell earlier traveled back to the "Me Decade" for 2004's "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."
"Whenever I look back at old photos and this and that, it just seems like such an alien time," Ferrell said. "The `80s are funny too, and I guess we'll look back and the `90s will be funny too, but the `70s are holding strong."
Ferrell is far from alone. In 2004's "Starsky & Hutch," Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson returned to when a Ford Gran Torino could be an object of obsessive pride. Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" (2000) captured the `70s — like many films set in the decade — through music.
"I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (1988) parodied `70s blaxploitation movies, ground eventually covered in the `60s-oriented "Austin Powers" films, specifically the third installment: "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (2002).
On the tube, the eight seasons of "That `70s Show" proved far more successful than its spinoff, "That `80s Show," which lasted for just a season. Though it takes place in 1980 and 1981, the cult classic series "Freak and Geeks" was largely imbued with `70s culture, like laser light shows and proms with Styx blaring.
"The danger with any period piece, especially of a more recent history, is that it can become cartoony really fast," said "Freaks and Geeks" creator Paul Feig, 45. "The biggest thing on `Freaks and Geeks' was monitoring up front the costumes and all that. A show like `That `70s Show' is clearly making fun of those archetypes — and that's fine, that works for that show — but it was a big thing for me to go like, `No, everyone did not wear leisure suits.'"
Even without the period cliches, the particular vibe of the `70s is especially suited to comedy. If the decades are characterized stereotypically, the `50s were uptight and fearful, the `60s were turbulent and optimistic, and the `80s were crass and commercial. The mood of the `70s is often viewed as a period of cynicism and languor: both innate qualities of comedy.
"Anchorman" director Adam McKay recalls the `70s as a "very bipolar decade" of grim reality and rich fantasy. Vietnam ended in failure, recession and gas shortages spread across the country — all while disco ruled the airwaves and drug-fueled parties raged.
"The reality of the change of the `60s was coming into place, and a lot of the time, it was pretty funny," said McKay. "The `60s were what legitimately brought in a lot of social change, but the `70s is when some of it seeped into the actual day-to-day living patterns of most Americans."
In Richard Linklater's 1993 classic, "Dazed and Confused," the red-haired character Cynthia Dunn (Marissa Ribisi) explores the "every-other-decade theory" on the last day of school in 1976:
"The fifties were boring. The sixties rocked. And the seventies, oh my God, they obviously suck. Come on! Maybe the eighties will be radical."
In an essay, film critic Kent Jones praised "Dazed and Confused" for achieving an accurate "balance between the aggressive and the dreamy" particular to "this odd, floating moment in history, when all decisive gestures seemed strange and suspect."
"There was a melancholy feel to the `70s," said the 40-year-old Ferrell, who nevertheless remembers them fondly. "I was so into the bicentennial. No joke. I bought a Liberty Bell necklace that was pewter. It was like a prized possession."
Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights" (1997) was ultimately a drama, but took much of its comedy from depicting outlandish aspects in the `70s pornography industry. You have Rollergirl (Heather Graham), a kung-fu fanatic (Mark Wahlberg) and a director (Burt Reynolds) worried by a new medium: videotape.
The period details in "Semi-Pro" are considerable: Evel Knievel-style stunts, medallions slung over turtlenecks, tri-colored basketballs and, of course, the expression "jive turkey."
"If it feels like there's a fun way to comment, you find those little moments, otherwise it should fit in the texture of the film," said Ferrell.
In "Anchorman," Ferrell's newsman character, Ron Burgundy, memorably discovers a "new fad": "I believe it's jogging or yogging. It might be a soft `J.' I'm not sure but apparently you just run for an extended period of time. It's supposed to be wild."
McKay, 39, believes `70s-set comedies remain relevant because of a universal theme of old meeting new — albeit a "new" often ridiculously dressed and grooving to Rush.
"What's the common thread in all of them? In `Dazed and Confused' the quarterback has the conflict with the old-school football coach," said McKay. "In (`Semi-Pro') it's the ABA verse the uptight NBA. And in `Anchorman,' you have the new sharp woman journalist against the old guard."
That films set in the `70s continue to proliferate isn't just a coincidence; that's when many of the comedians now currently dominating the scene came of age. It's only natural they would return to what all comedians perpetually contemplate: adolescence.
"I was just starting to have my opinion about what I thought was funny, and trying to be funny," recalled Ferrell. "All those things were happening around that period of time."
McKay, who was reluctant to make "Anchorman" in the `70s because it had been done before, is amazed the `70s — skipped over by everyone else — continue to be such fertile ground for comedians.
"I was shocked to see that it's still continuing," he said. "It's turned out to be a really deep well."