My Day with Film (Monday, 12/5/16)

Monday, 12/5/16


Dear Diary,

I'm thrilled that the rest of "Film Twitter" seemed to watch the same trailer for THE MUMMY reboot as I did. This looks like an absolute dumpster fire of a film. Universal may want to rethink this whole "shared universe" for Monsters thing. I enjoy being a small part of this business, but I just wish studios could learn to leave well enough alone.

If this new MUMMY trailer under your radar, believe me, you aren't missing much, but if you're interested, here it is below:

To make matters worse, there's supposedly a trailer for TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT coming this week. Outspoken thoughts in the days ahead I'm sure.

There is one diamond in the cinematic rough today though. The 7-minute prologue to Christopher Nolan's DUNKIRK feature will allegedly play before 70MM IMAX screenings of ROGUE ONE later this month. Peter Sciretta over at /Film reported this from multiple sources but has yet to confirm with IMAX or Warner Brothers if the prologue will be on all standard digital screenings as well. If not, only 15 theaters in the world will be showing the DUNKIRK footage.

Lastly, it was revealed today that ABC's Jimmy Kimmel will be the Oscars host in February. I'm still rooting for Louis C.K. someday:

Until tomorrow,

BC

My Day with Film (Sunday, 12/4/16)

Sunday, 12/4/16


Dear Diary,

I didn't get to watch THE GAME last night, and probably won't tonight. THE WALKING DEAD is on, and it's also the season finale of WESTWORLD. I'm planning to watch those tonight.

Earlier this past week, I wrote about how Universal shared a 16-second teaser for the new MUMMY reboot starring Tom Cruise. That teaser ended with a line that said "Trailer Sunday." At the time writing, I have yet to see the full trailer. I suspect it will be online sometime tonight, possibly alongside Sunday Night Football on NBC.

The big topic I came across today today was this article from Elle Magazine about Bernardo Bertolucci and Marlon Brando conspiring to rape Maria Schneider for a scene in LAST TANGO IN PARIS.

Bertolucci and Brando conceived the idea of Brando's widower character, Paul, raping Schneider's Jeanne with a stick of butter on a whim. The scene wasn't in the script, and allegedly, Schneider had little to no warning before they shot it. Now many are expressing their disgust towards Brando with some saying that his great legacy - which includes essential classics like THE GODFATHER and APOCALYPSE NOW - is forever tarnished, if not completely ruined.

Here's my personal dilemma with this issue: back in 2007, Schneider herself told the Daily Mail that no physical harm ever took place on the set. According to the actress, all the sex scenes were simulated. Brando never forced himself on her at any time; she just felt as though she had been manipulated by her co-star and director into doing something that she didn't agree to in her contract. To me, that doesn't sound at all like "sexual assault," which implies a physical altercation. The damage here was more psychological. Still, the fact that Brando and Bertolucci conspired to do anything without considering the interests of Schneider is terrible. Many of the film's viewers could also probably argue whether or not Schneider's natural reaction in the scene is any more convincing than if she'd acted as if it were scripted. This is a shitty situation, but for me, it doesn't affect the way I feel about Brando's work in APOCALYPSE NOW, THE GODFATHER, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, ON THE WATERFRONT or any of the remarkable films he's done. How could it? These are separate films each with separate circumstances, and it's never been a secret that Brando was difficult to work with. I've personally never seen the man as a role model, so this news simply all but confirms that for me. Tim Molloy wrote a nice, clear-headed piece for The Wrap about this whole thing which I encourage you to check out here before denying yourself a re-watch of ONE-EYED JACKS.

Until tomorrow,

BC

My Day with Film (Friday, 12/2/16)

Friday, 12/2/16


Dear Diary,

I finished watching the extended cut of GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) today. I got more out of the film as a whole than I did before. The humor is still pretty cringey, but otherwise it's not quite the disaster that many think. It's important to form your own opinions about things - movies, art, etc. in particular.

In other news, I found out that there's a 16-second teaser out there for the upcoming reboot of THE MUMMY starring Tom Cruise. The full trailer comes out on Sunday. From what I gather of the brief look so far, it appears similar to what the Brendan Fraser version might look like if it was set in the current time / near future. This is alleged to be part of Universal's shared cinematic universe for its Classic Monsters franchise. DRACULA UNTOLD was apparently the first film in that universe. I've yet to see it myself.

I joined the Cincinnati Film Society today. I'm hoping to meet fellow cinephiles and network with people in the industry going forward.

A friend asked me about Filmstruck, the new online streaming home of Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Collection. I'm not a subscriber myself just yet. It seems a bit pricey, and the lack of apps presently doesn't help the cause.

Tonight is Smash Cut night at The Woodward in Over-the-Rhine! I've been working for a PR company that's in the middle of a re-branding, and this event is the first to be sponsored exclusively by us. This event has been billed as "a movie-themed comedy game show" hosted by one of the guys from Future Science. I don't really know what to expect, but it should be fun!

Until tomorrow-

BC