My Day with Film (Monday, 12/19/16)

Monday, 12/19/16

Dear Diary,

I'm sorry that it's been a couple of days since I've written. 'Twas a busy weekend! I tried to keep up by tweeting and retweeting a lot of cool things I noticed online. I saw ROGUE ONE for a second time, yet it did not change my initial feelings towards the film as a whole. 

This morning, I finished this season's viewing of the perennial cult classic SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT. Based on the poster, you can probably guess what this movie is about. A traumatized young man dressed as Santa Claus goes on a Christmas Eve rampage across his town, snuffing out any and all semblances of naughtiness. SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT is most famous for the controversy surrounding it. Upon its release in 1984, no horror film had made a villain out of Santa Claus. That, combined with the film's graphic death scenes, prompted critics, politicians and concerned parents across the country to call for the film's swift ban, as well as the heads of both producer Ira Barmak and director Chuck Sellier, Jr. Among horror aficionados, SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT is most famous for containing one of the all-time great slasher movie deaths - a topless Linnea Quigley impaled on a mounted buck's antlers. Earlier this year, I picked up Anchor Bay's "30th Anniversary Edition" Blu-ray for an extremely low price. This is the complete uncut version of the film and is the only copy I've ever seen. Apparently, the master used for this Blu-ray disc was compiled from both an incomplete HD master and a VHS composite. At several moments, the "high-def" footage gives way to early-VHS-quality video. It's a bit jarring, and one could argue that it ruins the impact of one or two kills, but for me, it reinforces the film's low-budget charm. I can see why this is a cult classic, and just this year, it's become a fun guilty pleasure for me. Not recommended for children, the squeamish, or concerned mothers.

Industry news I saw today noted that ROGUE ONE made about $150 million in North America over the weekend. Worldwide cumulative estimates were just above $290 million. Perhaps unsurprisingly, COLLATERAL BEAUTY, the ensemble melodrama led by Will Smith, struggled to hit pay dirt. Read more about the weekend's box office totals at BoxOfficeMojo.com.

Speaking of ROGUE ONE, director Gareth Edwards spilled to Radio Times that he found some unused footage from A NEW HOPE that made it into the final cut of the new film. Industrial Light & Magic cleaned up the aging celluloid, and Edwards then used it hoping that eagle-eyed fans would appreciate it and that less discerning audiences wouldn't notice. I won't post spoilers for ROGUE ONE on this blog, so if you want to find out exactly which footage was used, read here.

We also got a couple of insanely awesome new teaser trailers today! These two sub-2-minute clips may have singlehandedly rescued me from my cynicism towards the just-passable trailers of the past several weeks, including THE MUMMY and WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. 

First we got an all-new look at JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2, and it looks terrific. The last film was a pleasant surprise with franchise potential that nobody saw coming, and the sequel looks to build on that in a valuable way. I can't wait!

Then we got our very first look at BLADE RUNNER 2049! I was skeptical at the idea of a sequel to BLADE RUNNER, but once Warner Brothers confirmed all the talent involved, I grew more receptive to it. This teaser damns skepticism to hell and may just be the best of this year. It shows just enough to make us excited but not so much that any aspects of the plot are given away. I could watch it a million times.

As I wrote this post and finished some other work for the day, I put on Criterion's disc of Terence Malick's THE THIN RED LINE. This is one that's been sitting on my shelf for several months, and I finally got around to it. Such a magnificent film.

Lastly, I'm ending my day with a screening of the new sci-fi romance film PASSENGERS. Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt have been tearing it up on the press junket for this movie, so hopefully it lives up to the hype.

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 (Wednesday, 11/30/16)

Wednesday, 11/30/16

Dear Diary,

So late last night, I started watching THE NEW WORLD since I ran short of time over the Thanksgiving holiday. I picked up the Blu-ray disc from the Criterion Collection during one of their 50% off flash sales earlier this year. The package apparently contains three different versions of the film: the 3-hour Extended cut, the 2-hour Theatrical cut, and Terence Malick's 2.5-hour First cut. I chose the Extended cut to watch this time.

The last time I saw this film was in 2006 in the theater, and being the young, naive moviegoer that I was at the time, I hated it. It was my introduction to Malick, and I didn't understand his deliberate, poetic visual and narrative style. So I popped the disc in sometime after midnight last night and made it through the first hour or so before falling asleep. It wasn't for lack of trying to stay awake, however. I finished the film earlier today, and it's times like this that I'm so grateful to have received a formal education in the study of cinema. Suddenly THE NEW WORLD, a film I once despised, became one of the more enriching cinematic experiences of my life. Chivo's naturally-lit cinematography sucked me in. The production design from Jack Fisk, musical score from the late James Horner, and lead acting performances all kept me there.

Rediscovering Malick's oeuvre over the past year (and going forward) with fresh eyes has been an absolute joy. I first saw DAYS OF HEAVEN via Criterion this year, and it's now one of my all-time favorite films and likely the most visually resplendent I've ever seen. Watching any film from Criterion is like watching it all over again for the first time. They do such an impeccable job, from the box art to the supplemental material. I cannot recommend their products highly enough.

This morning I saw that Netflix instituted a function where you can download certain titles for offline viewing. That's pretty cool. I could've used that last week when we drove 10 hours to North Carolina for Thanksgiving. Aside from long road trips or plane rides, I'm not sure when I would use Netflix offline personally.

Also today I searched online for jobs with the Cincinnati, Louisville and Kentucky state film commissions. I couldn't seem to find anything on their webpages. I've reached out to Cincinnati a few times before, and I emailed the Kentucky state commission. Fingers crossed!

Tonight I'm watching this past Sunday's episode of THE WALKING DEAD and most likely the extended edition of GHOSTBUSTERS (2016). Will report on that tomorrow.

- BC