May
21Newsweek’s Uphill Battle

The other impressive premiere this week was that of a magazine, not a movie. The “new Newsweek” represents a completely re-invented news magazine, except it has no news. Jon Meacham, the editor, in his introduction, tells readers, “We know you already know what the news is.” Hence the new Newsweek wants to focus on comment and analysis.

What emerges is a cross between the Atlantic and the Economist. The stories run much longer than those of the Economist but they don’t attempt the depth of the Atlantic. Most are staff written, but there also are pieces by folks like Tina Brown and Mayor Michael Bloomberg and even a “roundtable” involving past winners of “American Idol.”

“I did a tour in Southeast Asia and they were tripping out,” observes Taylor Hicks. OK, that advances my understanding of pop culture.

The cover story is an “exclusive interview” with President Obama, but this interview subject is so cautious with his words that the piece offers no new insights.

There’s no mystery as to why Newsweek wants to reinvent itself. As the astute James Rainey points out in the Los Angeles Times, the 76-year-old magazine suffered a decline in ad revenues of 19% in the first quarter alone and lost 400,000 readers over the past year.

All this reflects the overall freefall in the magazine business. Portfolio recently went under and Kit Rachlis is out as editor of Los Angeles Magazine, which he managed to dumb down for a decade.

Will the “new Newsweek” succeed? Jon Meacham wants to target a smaller upscale audience and charge more for his product. His initial issue is intelligent but it’s hard to get comfortable with, like most magazine re-designs.

I hope he wins.

Posted: Thu., May 21, 2009, 10:03AM PT || Comments (10)

May
20Ben Stiller’s Art Movie

Cinephiles complain there aren’t any good art movies around. They’re ignoring the most expensive art movie ever made, “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.”

Sure, the title may sound klutzy, but consider the following: Here’s a movie in which great paintings come to life. Historic figures utter wise epigrams. And the whole movie takes place in a museum.

Most important, this is a film that displays a truly surreal sensibility in that it has no tenable plot. Not even a basic hook, like the first “Night at the Museum.” Which is all the more surreal, because the sequel must have cost $150 million or thereabouts (I didn’t ask the studio, Twentieth Century-Fox, because, like all studios, it slavishly protects and distorts its numbers).

So while all those critics are in Cannes searching for art, I managed to find it at a screening on the Fox lot this week.

But here’s the important part: There are strokes of magic in the second “Night at the Museum.” Shawn Levy is a fabulously talented director and Ben Stiller has abandoned some of the forced mannerisms of his earlier work. He seems totally at ease in this film and so does Amy Adams who, as Amelia Earhart, does a superb turn as a Katherine Hepburn type.

Also performing excellent bits are Hank Azaria, Robin Williams, Christopher Guest and Ricky Gervais.

I’m not going to ask whether it makes sense to shoot a sequel that has no plot. Let’s just say I admire the Fox production mavens for investing so much in a thoroughly surreal work of art.

Besides, the first go-around grossed $574 million around the world. So chances are the sequel will be the most successful art movie of all time.

OK, maybe not really an art movie.

Posted: Wed., May 20, 2009, 3:32PM PT || Comments (0)

May
18Who Were the Madoff Victims?

Since the Bernie Madoff scandal gave Hollywood a jolt, we’re grateful to the Wall Street Journal for raising some major questions:

Namely, who were the “victims” and who were the perpetrators?

It turns out that some of the so-called money managers who funneled money into Madoff’s funds were richly rewarded for their loyalty. According to the Journal, their returns reached 300% to 950% a year.

What federal prosecutors suspect, therefore, is that while charities and philanthropic groups may have lost billions, the guys who helped manage this money were not “victims” at all. They were apparently complicit in the scheme, even though they say they may not have known it.

That means that a money manager who was “accidentally” doubling his money every year never bothered to make a few phone calls to find out why he was getting so lucky.

Sure, I buy that.

Posted: Mon., May 18, 2009, 2:56PM PT || Comments (1)

May
17Rich Writers, Poor Material

When critiquing a film, it’s customary to single out the director for praise or blame, but I’d like to spotlight the two screen writers responsible for “Angels & Demons,” this weekends big prequel. David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman are the two highest paid screen writers in the history of the movie business, and their over-priced script of the new Tom Hanks film is a complete mess.

“Angels & Demons,” doubtless will do substantial business around the world, but may not come close to the $750 million worldwide gross of its predecessor, “The Da Vinci Code.” In tackling their script, Koepp and Goldsman were again handicapped by what Todd McCarthy rightly calls the “laborious, connect-the-dots” plotting of novelist Dan Brown. Both films were also directed by Ron Howard and produced by Brian Grazer and John Calley, who clearly have a fealty to the Dan Brown goldmine.

Still, give the audience a break, guys. The actors in “Angels & Demons” spout a steady stream of on-the-nose expository dialogue. “Oh, good, the symbologist has arrived,” says the commander of the Swiss Guards, and that’s actually a witty line by comparison. As Joe Morgenstern observes in the Wall Street Journal, the audience is “Benumbed by info overload.”

And it’s dopey info – all about the “illuminati” (they’re bad) and the “Preferiti” (they’re good), with Tom Hanks racing around looking agitated as he tries to prevent antimatter from blowing up the world.

There was concern from the studio (Sony) that Catholics might be offended by the Vatican intrigues, but, as A.O. Scott declares in the New York Times, “The only people to be offended by “Angels & Demons” are those who persist in their adherence to the fading dogma that popular entertainment should earn its acclaim through excellence and originality.”

Again, Koepp and Goldsman were stuck with the basic material, but they were also handed a few million bucks to give it some “excellence and originality.” Goldsman earned his paycheck by writing the scripts for “A Beautiful Mind” and “I am Legend.” Koepp was responsible for projects like “War of the Worlds” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (he also struck out with “Ghost Town,” an oddly leaden film he both wrote and directed).

Between them, their films have surely grossed billions and their paychecks have far surpassed a hundred million. It’s great to see writers benefit richly from the system, but it also would be gratifying to see their skills on display.

They could start by writing a role for Tom Hanks; he doesn’t have one in “Angels & Demons.”

Posted: Sun., May 17, 2009, 12:35PM PT || Comments (2)

May
15Woodstock’s Time Warp

Will the summer of angst show any appreciation for the summer of love?

Joel Rosenman and Michael Lang were two klutzy young men who stumbled into the “summer of love” in Woodstock, New York in 1969. Woodstock seemed at the time like a non-event, but for the more than 450,000 folks attending the four-day drugged-out, mud-splattered festival it was a life-changing experience. The New York press didn’t even report on Woodstock until a couple of days later, when word began seeping into the mainstream. Ultimately, Woodstock became a movie, an album and a mini-legend.

The 40th anniversary this year will also be marked by a movie, “Taking Woodstock,” directed by Ang Lee and making its bow in, of all places, Cannes. Several books also will mark the anniversary, but what will not take place will be an anniversary concert produced by the two klutzy founders, Rosenman and Lang. It seems they couldn’t come up with sponsors. Also, they kept bickering.

Besides, in summer ’09 the summer of angst, folks are too worried about their jobs to party in the mud.

According to the New York Times, the name “summer of love” has been conscripted by Target, which is coming out with a beach towel featuring a symbolic white dove perched on a guitar.

Far out, man.

Posted: Fri., May 15, 2009, 2:15PM PT || Comments (0)

May
14Tom: Still on Cruise Control

Tom Cruise has gone quiet lately in terms of the media, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost any of his fire. Indeed, Cruise knows he’s at a turning point: He’s determined to lock in his next two movies in the next two weeks and to reassert himself as the chief of United Artists.

Yet I found him in a relaxed and garrulous mood last week and eager to compare war stories about the filmmaking business. Cruise shot a one-hour TV special called “Storymakers” (to be broadcast Friday night at 10PM on AMC) with Peter Guber and myself where he made it very clear that, while many possibilities have beckoned, by no means was he putting the business of being a movie star on the back burner.

Along the way Cruise acknowledged that someday he would like to find a movie to direct but understands that it would represent a considerable sacrifice both in terms of family time and movie-star time. He also said that Broadway held a lure now that he had shared his wife Katie’s experience making her bow in “All My Sons.” “The camaraderie among actors in the theater is enticing,” he said, as is the sheer energy of the Great White Way.

Yet Cruise acknowledged that he was still a committed movie nut and has been since childhood. He cheerfully recalled sneaking into “The Godfather” as a little boy in Canada (his parents had barred him from seeing it because of its violence). “I would always go to movies alone as a kid,” he said. “I knew what I wanted to see and I planned my weekends and odd jobs around movie schedules.”

Cruise realizes that he must have been a pain in the ass as a young actor and says he remains eternally grateful for those directors who endured his relentless questions and challenges. Harold Becker on “Taps” let him see dailies, the editor invited him to spend hours in the cutting room, the cinematographer explained lenses and camera angles. “I had to know it all,” Cruise reflects. “I had to understand the process.”

Cruise’s almost manic dedication to “the process” is still evident, but he seems more relaxed about it. After committing to play the crazed studio chief in “Tropic Thunder” for Ben Stiller, Cruise spent three months prepping his lines and practicing movements in his fat suit. “I knew there was a good chance it wouldn’t work, but I needed to push the envelope,” he said. “The same for ‘Valkyrie.’ It was a risk. I’m passionate about my movies and that means taking risks.”

Now 46, few stars have ranged as far and wide in their roles, from “Born on the Fourth of July” to “Rain Man,” or worked with such a wide range of major filmmakers, from Spielberg to Coppola to Kubrick. When Cruise commits to a project, his commitment has been stalwart – on “Rain Man,” he hung on through four directors before the movie started shooting.

“I wanted to do that piece with Dustin (Hoffman),” Cruise explains. “He’s an actor’s actor. Just like Jack Nicholson. On ‘A Few Good Men,’ Jack and I worked on our scenes over and over. I couldn’t get enough of those moments – I wanted to keep doing them.”

Cruise has been battered by the media in times past, but now seems at peace with it all. “I just want to keep moving forward,” he says. “My passion is my work. I’m always learning from what I do. That’s what matters."

Posted: Thu., May 14, 2009, 12:01PM PT || Comments (0)

May
12Spock Turns Back the Clock


The $100 million B.O. results and fawning reviews for the new “Star Trek” will surely provide even further reinforcement for that new genre, the prequel. All those studio execs who wasted their time devising sequels about “what comes after” must feel stupid for not focusing on “what went before?”

The sequels from the old studio system were finally abandoned because they ran out of plot. Clearly the Andy Hardy series, for example, should have taken Mickey Rooney back to infancy.

The prequel formula thumbs its nose at certain basic cinematic precepts. The audience doesn’t need to worry whether Spock will survive his mission because we see multiple generations of Spocks in the movie. The time-traveling Spock the Elder even advises his younger self, “Put aside logic. Do what feels right.” He might have added, “Put aside suspense. It all ends right.”

The recurrent speeches about “feelings” and the emotional repression among Vulcans makes the “Star Trek” opus occasionally seem like a sci-fi version of the HBO show “In Treatment.” But with a $106 million worldwide opening weekend, J.J. Abrams and his crew doubtless will feel no inhibitions about launching yet another sequel. Or prequel.

Meanwhile, there will be a lot of second-guessing about the opening numbers. The first weekend is usually the territory of the kids, but 65% of the “Star Trek” audience was 25 or older. “Wolverine” rolled up an $85 million opening weekend in the U.S. – vs. $79.5 million for “Star Trek.” And “Star Trek’s” foreign total of $35.5 million fell far short of “Wolverine’s” $73 million, not to mention “Iron Man’s” $90 million last year.

So even though the folks at Paramount are exchanging high fives, there’ll still be some marketing anxiety before we get to see Spock’s baby pictures.

Posted: Tue., May 12, 2009, 2:46PM PT || Comments (0)

May
5Bad Boys From the “Golden Years”

Mike Dann, the fabled programming guru at CBS, is now 87 years old, newly married and the author of a colorful memoir titled “As I Saw It: The Inside Story of the Golden Years of Television.” Dann’s reign at Black Rock covered the period 1958 – 1970 and encompassed shows from the Smothers Brothers, Danny Kaye, Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball and other luminaries.

Himself a forceful character, Dann venerated his legendary performers but also vividly recalled their foibles.

Gleason, of course, was a hardcore boozer who would simply disappear on occasion. To placate him, CBS built a “fancy circular mansion,” as Dann described it, overlooking a serene wooded landscape in suburban New York. Gleason still regularly disappeared on them.

Danny Kaye always complained about the size of his dressing room, so the network built him a penthouse suite. He still complained. Judy Garland was an even tougher star to manage: A hopeless pill junkie, Garland’s performances suffered so badly that the network helped her write a letter resigning from the show.

Dann’s sourest memories were of the “smiling cobra,” CBS president Jim Aubrey. A tall and polished Princeton man, Aubrey nonetheless exhibited violent mood swings, Dann writes: “He could be charming and warm but the next minute he could be a killer.” Apart from his personality disorder, Aubrey also had terrible taste in programming, writes Dann. He fought to kill “The Defenders,” one of the great shows of the early ‘60s, and relented only when the ratings rolled in.

Dann admits he loved TV and feasted on its competitive battles, but regrets that he didn’t foster more quality shows. “I won the ratings by serving the masses,” he writes. “That is what I am known for. There is no such thing as mass with class.”

Having said all this, Mike Dann was nonetheless a classy guy and his memoir will be grist for TV fans and for those insiders who recall his glory days.

Posted: Tue., May 5, 2009, 5:03PM PT || Comments (0)

May
5Shakey Summer

The “Summer Movies” sections of the New York Times and Los Angeles Times pose challenges these days on both the advertising and editorial fronts. The ad pages are thinner – Warner Bros. took no space in the sections for its two would-be summer blockbusters, the newest “Harry Potter” iteration or “Terminator Salvation.” Warners’ parent, Time Warner, has the biggest stake in print of any of the congloms, so its apparent boycott would seem surprising.

Given staff cuts, the New York Times seemed troubled about filling its editorial hole, so it turned to a flurry of random “memos” from its two principal surviving movie critics, A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis. The so-called “memos” were somewhat random in content.

Scott wrote a curmudgeonly open memo to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science urging it to “kill the Oscars.” Dargis then dispatched a curious screed to Lionsgate stating: “Yuck! Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s only a movie. But if films don’t have any wider meaning in the culture, don’t have real impact on minds and bodies, why do so many of us dedicate our lives to obsessing over them?” Her memo, she said, was aimed at “extreme horror filmmakers and fanatics.”

Scott chipped in with a memo to Steven Spielberg urging him to “think small again” like his “buddy,” Francis Coppola. Scott feels Spielberg should make films “on a shoestring” (Coppola’s last effort bombed and his new “shoestring” movie opens at Cannes). Dargis followed with a complaint to “straight filmmakers” for inserting what she describes as “gay slurs” into their work. She did not provide examples.

Perusing their memos, I will probably compose a memo to the Times’ critics urging them to confine themselves to a format with which they have a greater familiarity: Reviews.

Posted: Tue., May 5, 2009, 2:20PM PT || Comments (0)

April
21Master of the Talent Universe

Say it ain’t so Simon.

Buried in a story in the Daily Mirror of London last week was a hint from Simon Cowell that he’s thinking of leaving his gig on “American Idol.” When he signed his last extension, running through next season, he felt his "Idol" idyll may have run its course, said the irascible Brit.

Is this a negotiating ploy? Or has Simon actually decided he wants to get a life?

In any case, Simon’s pondering sent a chill through the corridors of Fox. “American Idol,” of course, is the network’s tentpole – if not the entire tent. And Cowell’s caustic critiques arguably are the lynch pin of the show. Only last week, however, even Cowell was ecstatic in his praise of Susan Boyle, the staid matron from Scotland who lit up Cowell’s other show, “Britain’s Got Talent.”

It’s clearly Cowell who’s got the talent and whose label controls the artists on both of his shows as well as their tours. I’ve wondered how Cowell can ricochet between Los Angeles and London, moving from one zone of unreality to the next. Fox alone pays him a mere $36 million per annum and his other earnings are unimaginable. Got Talent alone is on in over 40 countries. Cowell also owns another Brit talent show, “X Factor” which is bouncing around another 20 countries.
So the question remains: Since Simon Cowell owns the world, why does he need to spend his life rattling around it in an airplane?

Maybe he’s decided to ask himself that very question.

Posted: Tue., April 21, 2009, 4:39PM PT || Comments (1)

April
20Broadway’s Kings and Queens

Show business memoirs tend to be stuffy and self-protective. That’s why I admire that old pro, Arthur Laurents, for writing a book that is downright, well, bitchy.

It’s called “Mainly on Directing,” and its stories weave in and out of Laurents’ various hit shows – “Gypsy,” “West Side Story,” La Cage aux Folles,” and the like.

On Cage, Laurents relates how Allen Carr, who was the total Hollywood producer, not a creature of Broadway, insisted on Laurents to direct the show, over-ruling the Shubert Organization’s insistence on Michael Bennett.

Why was Carr so insistent? “Maybe to give the (manicured) finger to a Broadway establishment that regarded him as a silly Hollywood queen,” opines Laurents. Now 90, concludes: “The god that loves loyalty among gays was pleased. Cage ran for four years and had several national companies.”

Laurents can be caustic about the work of fellow directors, especially Hollywood directors. Robert Wise’s movie version of “West Side Story” was downright “embarrassing,” Laurents writes. “The overacting of the peroxided, Max Factored Jets,” he wrote, was exceeded only by “their Day-Gloed, Carmen Miranded girl friends.” Advises Laurents: “Don’t rely on memory, view it again, just the first ten minutes, and you will be aghast.

Fortunately no movie re-make is being planned, and the newly re-imagined “West Side Story” on Broadway, of course, is this season’s runaway hit.

Posted: Mon., April 20, 2009, 5:38PM PT || Comments (0)

April
16Bad News, Bad Judgment

Troubled times often trigger troubled behavior. That’s been especially true in the journalistic community of late.

It’s hard to explain why the august New York Times would run an op-ed piece that provided a curious rationale for the behavior of Bernard Madoff. Investors weren’t compelled to give money to this Wall Street crook, the piece argued; people actually wanted him — even courted him — to take their money.

The article was written, however, by a Times writer named Daphne Merkin, who would not exactly be expected to have an objective view of this debacle. Merkin’s brother is J. Ezra Merkin, who fed more than $2 billion of clients’ money into the Madoff machine, while collecting some $470 million in fees.

Buried in the fifth paragraph of her op-ed piece, Daphne Merkin blandly acknowledges she has “a sibling who did business with Madoff.” That’s like saying, “I’m a member of the Ponzi family, but that doesn’t influence my views about the family’s business plan.”

The press does not deserve high marks for its coverage of the collapse of the economy, and the Times isn’t helping the cause by running op-ed pieces like Merkin’s.

Posted: Thu., April 16, 2009, 5:20PM PT || Comments (0)

April
15Mel’s Billion-Dollar Battle

The celebrity subculture embraces many conflicted, contorted individuals, but I’ve never encountered a more tortured soul than Mel Gibson. So it isn’t surprising that he is now caught up in what may be Hollywood’s priciest divorce suit.

Few in this town would empathize with Gibson – he is mind-bendingly wealthy, his personal views are erratic and he has never exactly courted favor in the community. Still, there is something downright poignant about anyone as messed up – and as talented – as Gibson. My own personal encounters with him have run the gamut from fun to frosty.

What brings all this to mind is the fact that Gibson and his wife are suing each other for divorce after almost 30 years. Mel and Robyn just want out and at stake is almost a billion dollars. Paradoxically, it’s one of the greatest fortunes ever to come from, well, religion. Bear in mind that Gibson is a conservative Catholic, that much of his wealth comes from a movie called “The Passion of the Christ” and that he is a family man with seven kids.

Gibson owns an island in Fiji, has ranches in both Costa Rica and Australia and also has built a $30 million church in Malibu called the Holy Family Catholic Church. In recent years, he has sold ranches in Montana and an estate in Connecticut.

I have been in the company of Mel Gibson when he has been out-of-his-mind drunk, shouting denunciations of Vatican teachings. I’ve also been with him when he was subdued and sober, and full of remorse for his anti-Semitic blatherings. I have never really known anyone whose extremes of opinion and behavior have been more explosive.

Or, for that matter, who possessed so much raw talent. His last directorial effort, “Apocalypto,” was, in my opinion, one of the most underrated films of its epoch. It displayed brilliant filmmaking technique, yet also that Gibsonian perversity. Its over-the-top violence kept many away and Gibson’s reputation negated any opportunity for awards.

Now Gibson is exactly where he least wants to be – center stage amid a personal ordeal. Again, most of us would instinctively express empathy for the man for whom no one wants to express empathy.

All things considered, I do.

Posted: Wed., April 15, 2009, 5:01PM PT || Comments (2)

March
24Lean Times for Eateries

A recession forces folks to make tough choices. Travel is down 22% – that was easy to predict. The cosmetic surgery business needs a facelift. The long lines to buy corporate jets have all but vanished.

The business lunch also seems a casualty of the downturn, as a visit to any expensive eatery will confirm. The corporate players seem eager to demonstrate their dedication to “the new austerity.” Talent agencies are warning employees to avoid the pricey eateries – they’re even distributing lists of bargain restaurants.

Toward the end of my lunch at Mr. Chow’s in Beverly Hills the other day, I studied the room as the tabs were distributed. The ensuing ritual was an apt metaphor for the recession: No one was grabbing for the check. At two tables it just sat there, orphaned and ignored, as three diners held to their stall.

Of course, Mr. Chow’s isn’t among the “bargain” eateries and it seems relatively undaunted by the recession; however that in itself is indicative. The restaurants that seem to be surviving the best are those that are “comfy,” not those nurturing haute cuisine. No one is more adept at “managing” his high-ego clientele than Chris Denton, who’s been running the room for 20 years and who knows how to safely seat Sean Penn several tables away from whomever he’s having his latest quarrel with.

Similarly, Piccolino is not feeling the recession because of the “cool” of Eddie Kerkhofs, who presided over the old Le Dome for many years. The same for La Dolce Vita, where Ruben Castro has been shepherding his followers since 1974!

The restaurants that seem to be hurting are those more-formal emporiums where the waiters don’t ask you what you think of a dish but say something like, “It’s great, isn’t it.” Any place in New York with the name Daniel reflects this haughty attitude.

To be sure, I’ve never boasted about my sophisticated palate. In my home growing up, my parents seemed more interested in what we drank than what we ate, and I was grateful for that. My lunch-time sandwich from home consisted of soggy lettuce and tomato on Wonder bread and that worked fine at the time.

Hence, I’m comfortable with the recessionary attitude of favoring “comfy” restaurants. I admire Wolfgang Puck’s professionalism, but I’d just as soon eat at the Melrose Bar and Grill because it reminds me of the old PJ Clarke’s in New York. In Palm Springs, I hang out at a place called Wangs because Alford Harrison and Joel Herzer serve up the best fried catfish this side of Baton Rouge. Plus, the place is comfy.

I took a friend to the restaurant at the new Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills the other day and I felt apologetic about ordering – there were no other diners and I didn’t want sole responsibility for activating the kitchen. That wasn’t comfy.

But it definitely reflected the time we live in. Out of pity, I even picked up the check. (I was dining with an agent.)

Posted: Tue., March 24, 2009, 6:24PM PT || Comments (2)

March
23All Smarts, No Fun

Among cinematic genres, none is more seductive than caper films. They’re contrarian, funny, surprising – the little guy defying the establishment.

I’ve been enmeshed in caper films since the first “Italian Job” when Michael Caine stuck it to the bad guys (the heavy was Noel Coward!) So I was delighted to learn that Tony Gilroy, the writer-director responsible for “Michael Clayton,” had decided to invade the genre, even recruiting the glam team of Julia Roberts and Clive Owen as his lead caperers.

Well, the critics by and large applauded Gilroy’s piece, but audiences have been less than exuberant (“Duplicity” registered a third place finish last weekend, grossing $14.4 million). In this case, I agree with the filmgoers.

In devising his caper, Gilroy set out to defy the basic rules of caper-making – that the genre requires jeopardy, action and sex. “Duplicity” is stuffed with clever twists and cutesy lines, but no one is really in danger, very little happens (just lots of shifts in location) and the Julia-Clive relationship seems downright literary.

Hence I’m inclined to agree with Joe Morgenstern, the critic of the Wall Street Journal, who said that, while he loved “smart” films, this one managed to “tease the brain without pleasing the heart.” In diagnosing the plot, Morgenstern asked: “Why does figuring out the puzzle come to feel a lot like work?”

The answer is that caper films should feel exhilarating; this one is ultimately a downer.

Posted: Mon., March 23, 2009, 4:37PM PT || Comments (0)


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Monte Hellman at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival speaks on TWO LANE BLACKTOP, Francis Ford Coppola, and movies of the 70's, but explains "I don't think in decades."; Karlovy Vary; Monte Hellman; Two Lane Blacktop; AMC; francis ford coppola; Shootout; Danny DeVito shares his experiences working with Milos Forman and Jack Nicholson on ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, and recalls a basketball game soft-drink mishap during a break from filming.; one flew over the cuckoo's nest; MILOS FORMAN; AMC; Jack Nicholson; Danny DeVito; Shootout; Bud Cort (Harold) from Harold and Maude tells us why he thinks the film did so poorly when it was first released, and about his joy at seeing it evolve from "cult film" to "American classic."; AMC; Karlovy Vary; Shootout; Harold and Maude; Bud Cort; Cybill Shepherd talks about her first movie, The Last Picture Show, and how she worried about her nude scenes and making the other actresses jealous.; AMC; The Last Picture Show; Karlovy Vary; Shootout; Cybill Shepherd; WEB EXCLUSIVE! Ethan Hawke talks about the burden of having great success at a young age, and how Robin Williams helped him through a difficult scene in DEAD POETS SOCIETY.; Robin Williams; AMC; Ethan Hawke; Shootout; Dead Poets Society; WEB EXCLUSIVE! Ethan Hawke gives a glimpse into the making of his film THE HOTTEST STATE, and how he expects it to do in theaters.; AMC; Ethan Hawke; The Hottest State; Shootout; WEB EXCLUSIVE! Ethan Hawke talks about working with Denzel Washington on TRAINING DAY, and how Washington "walks the world like he owns the joint."; Ethan Hawke; Training Day; Denzel Washington; AMC; Shootout; Robert De Niro; WEB EXCLUSIVE! Ethan Hawke discusses what it's like for two actors to be married, and why Warren Beatty's ego is not in any danger.; AMC; Ethan Hawke; Shootout; warren beatty; Werner Herzog explains that he knew Steve Zahn would be perfect for his role as a POW in Rescue Dawn because he "loves actors who know how to milk a cow."; Sunday Morning Shootout; Steve Zahn; AMC; Rescue Dawn; Werner Herzog; Werner Herzog and Steve Zahn disagree over living in Los Angeles vs. Kentucky; Sunday Morning Shootout; Steve Zahn; AMC; Rescue Dawn; Werner Herzog; Werner Herzog explains how he had to "invent cinema for himself" because of his lack of access to technology growing up.; Sunday Morning Shootout; AMC; Rescue Dawn; Werner Herzog; Geoffrey Rush explains why he feels that Johnny Depp is one of the truly great actors of this era.; geoffrey rush; johnny depp; Geoffrey Rush gives a behind-the-scenes perspective on why the credit list is so long for PIRATES OF THE CARRIBBEAN; geoffrey rush; pirates of the carribbean; candy; LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE herself, Abigail Breslin explains why she loves acting and speculates about the possibility of a career in show business.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; abigail breslin; Peter Guber; Alan Arkin explains why he doesn't mind when his characters die in the movies.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Alan Arkin; Peter Guber; Andy Garcia explains how he drew on 27 years of experience in film acting as he made his directorial debut with THE LOST CITY.; Andy Garcia; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; The Lost City; AMC; Peter Guber; Andy Garcia talks about the propensity for independent films to be recognized at the Academy Awards.; Andy Garcia; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Academy Awards; Peter Guber; Bill Paxton reveals how he found a way to identify with the character of a polygamist in BIG LOVE.; Big Love; Bill Paxton; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Peter Guber; Brett Ratner talks about the driving force--desperately wanting to direct a comic book franchise film--that made him lobby to work on X-MEN: THE LAST STAND. (01m 24s); X-Men; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Brett Ratner; Peter Guber; Brett Ratner muses about being banned by (and subsequently, allowed back to) the Hotel du Cap, one of the hottest resorts at the Cannes Film Festival. (02m 16s); Cannes; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Brett Ratner; Hotel du Cap; Peter Guber; CRASH producer Bob Yari explains why he felt it was important that he press his lawsuit against the Academy.; Bob Yari; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; crash; Peter Guber; Charlize Theron describes what it felt like to win a Golden Globe.; Charlize Theron; Sunday Morning Shootout; golden globes; Peter Bart; AMC; Peter Guber; Chris Rock talks about the difficulty he would have in branching out to non-comedic roles.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Chris Rock; Chris Rock discusses the tenuous nature of success in the entertainment industry.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Chris Rock; Chris Rock discusses what it's like to prepare for a tour, and reveals his key demographic.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Chris Rock; Chris Silverman discusses the value of constantly updated information in Hollywood. (01m 20s); Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Chris Silverman; Peter Guber; Clint Eastwood discusses his movie FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Flags of Our Fathers; Clint Eastwood; Peter Guber; Clint Eastwood recounts the difficulties of shooting a war movie on location in Iwo Jima which is considered a shrine by the local population.; Iwo Jima; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Clint Eastwood; Peter Guber; Kevin Costner discusses his role in the movie THIRTEEN DAYS; Shootout; Kevin Costner; Kevin Costner talks about the challenges of portraying a serial killer in MR. Brooks; Shootout; Kevin Costner; Kevin Costner discusses how important it is to offer studios a return on their investment in his movies, but declares that ultimately it's the end product that really moves him.; Shootout; Kevin Costner; Kevin Costner discusses he would have loved to play Steve McQueen's role in the movie SAND PEBBLES; Shootout; Kevin Costner; Craig Ferguson explains why he finds acting in big budget features repellent and yearns for a time when movies were movies.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; craig ferguson; Peter Guber; Cuba Gooding, Jr. reflects on some of the mistakes he made in managing his career after winning an Oscar for his role in Jerry Maguire.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; Jerry Maguire; AMC; Academy Awards; Cuba Gooding Jr.; Oscar; Peter Guber; Mark Cuban gives his outlook on YouTube and the Web 2.0 phenomenon.; Mark Cuban discusses the possibility of buying the Chicago Cubs.; Shootout; Mark Cuban; Danny DeVito discusses his new Clickstar business ventures and the new channels he's developing.; Sunday Morning Shootout; AMC; Danny DeVito explains his perspective on why Arnold Schwarzenegger is so good at both acting and politics.; Arnold Schwarzenegger; Danny DeVito; Danny DeVito discusses the appeal of making movies in many different genres.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Danny DeVito; Peter Guber; LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE producer David Friendly explains how the film's cast found a nearly magical chemistry with one another.; Little Miss Sunshine; David Friendly; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Peter Guber; Dennis Hopper discusses his involvement with the CineVegas Film Festival. (00m 45s); Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Peter Guber; Dennis Hopper; Dennis Hopper reminisces about how art has influenced him as an actor and a director. (01m 03s); Art; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; Easy Rider; AMC; Peter Guber; Dennis Hopper; Dennis Hopper discusses the pros and cons of the dissolution of Hollywood's old studio system. (o1m 56s); Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Peter Guber; Dennis Hopper; Dennis Hopper ponders whether or not he'll be able to write a retrospective of his life--especially when he considers everything he'll need to leave out. (01m 24s); memoirs; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Peter Guber; Dennis Hopper; Edward Norton explains his distinction between promoting his films and promoting himself, and why he prefers one over the other.; Edward Norton; Edward Norton discusses his sweeping new movie THE PAINTED VEIL.; The Painted Veil; Edward Norton; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Ed Norton; Peter Guber; Edward Norton recounts advice from and encounters with the inimitable Warren Beatty; Edward Norton; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; warren beatty; Peter Guber; Edward Norton bemoans what he calls the "orgy of self congratulations" that the awards season has become in Hollywood.; Edward Norton; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Ed Norton; Peter Guber; Emilio Estevez explains how a chance encounter while on a writing retreat at a ramshackle motel led to an unlikely inspiration as he wrote the script for BOBBY.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; Bobby; AMC; Emilio Estevez; Peter Guber; Emilio Estevez recounts how difficult it was to shoot scenes of BOBBY at the Ambassador Hotel while bulldozers worked just off camera.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; Bobby; AMC; Emilio Estevez; Peter Guber; Emilio Estevez describes how he made concessions in the filming of BOBBY in order to keep the film on budget.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; Bobby; AMC; Emilio Estevez; Peter Guber; Greg Kinnear and producer David Friendly discuss the way LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE progressed from script to screen.; Little Miss Sunshine; David Friendly; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Greg Kinnear; Peter Guber; Greg Kinnear expresses why he chose to leave broadcast television to pursue a career in acting.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Greg Kinnear; Peter Guber; Greg Kinnear outlines the factors that inform why he chooses one role over another.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Greg Kinnear; Peter Guber; Director Guillermo del Toro talks about the success of PAN'S LABYRINTH, and the effect it's had on his career.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; Guillermo Del Toro; Peter Guber; Pan's Labyrinth; Gwyneth Paltrow reflects on the pressure that comes with having won an Academy Award.; Gwyneth Paltrow; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Academy Awards; Oscar; Peter Guber; Helen Mirren discusses her preparations for THE QUEEN and transcending her roots.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; helen mirren; Hugh Hefner explains why he thinks that America will never return to the Victorian-esque sexual politics that characterized the 1950s.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Hugh Hefner; Peter Guber; Hugh Hefner describes how PLAYBOY found its way out of tough financial times back into the black.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Hugh Hefner; playboy; Peter Guber; Hugh Jackman explains how an early morning ritual helps him tap into the dark side of his personality in order to portray the character Wolverine in the X-MEN franchise.; X-Men; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Hugh Jackman; Peter Guber; Hugh Jackman explains how differently Broadway theater-goers approach a night at the theater compared with their London counterparts.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Hugh Jackman; Peter Guber; Jackie Earle Haley reflects on his life as a child actor and on his second shot at Hollywood.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; Jackie Earle Haley; Javier Bardem discusses his role in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.; Cannes; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Shootout; Javier Bardem; Peter Guber; Jennifer Hudson talks about her post-DREAMGIRLS success, and the new direction her career is taking.; Jennifer Hudson; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; DreamGirls; AMC; Peter Guber; Director John Lasseter talks about why Hollywood should focus more on making great family films.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; John Lasseter; Peter Guber; John Lasseter reveals the secret of the "creative brain trust" and the importance of honesty.; animation; john lassetter; John Lasseter reveals a proposed alternate title for the new film RATATOUILLE; sequels; john lassetter; Ratatouille; John Waters discusses the $70 million budget for HAIRSPRAY, and sympathizes with Pee Wee Herman.; Sunday Morning Shootout; John Waters; Pee Wee Herman; AMC; hairspray; John Waters explains why the childern's movie he is trying to make has become the most difficult project he has ever faced.; Sunday Morning Shootout; John Waters; John Waters professes his love for Kevin Federline and enthuses about the prospect of working with him.; Keven Federline; Sunday Morning Shootout; John Waters; Peter Bart; AMC; Britney Spears; Peter Guber; John Waters discusses his new TV show TILL DEATH DO US PART about spousal murders.; Sunday Morning Shootout; John Waters; John Waters explains why he has always been more attracted to villains in the movies.; Sunday Morning Shootout; John Waters; Kate Winslet sticks up for actor Jude Law, revels in the joy of playing a contemporary British woman, and rues the lack of bathroom breaks at the Oscars.; Kate Winslet; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Peter Guber; Kevin Connolly and Lukas Haas discuss their new movie premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival; Lukas Haas; Kevin Connolly; Shootout; Kurt Russell talks about his experience working with Quentin Tarantino on GRINDHOUSE; Kurt Russell; grindhouse; Quentin Tarantino; Mark Wahlberg talks about his experiences working with Martin Scorsese on THE DEPARTED. ; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Mark Wahlberg; The Departed; Peter Guber; Matt Dillon muses about his first trip around the Oscar circuit, and his status as an "old pro." (02m 14s); Oscars; Matt Dillon; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Peter Guber; Paramount Pictures producer Lorenzo DiBonaventure is critical of the lack of passion that he sees in many studio executives and financiers.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Paramount Pictures; Lorenzo DiBonaventure; Peter Guber; Paul Haggis, the writer and director of CRASH, talks about how his film has consistently defied expectations. (02m 24s); Paul Haggis; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; crash; Peter Guber; Rosario Dawson recounts how she watched RESERVOIR DOGS seven times in one week and was in awe of Quentin Tarantino's storytelling ability.; Shootout; Rosario Dawson; Tribeca Film Festival; Rosario Dawson shares her excitement about the audience reaction to THE DESCENT which was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival.; Shootout; Rosario Dawson; Tribeca Film Festival; The Descent; Terrence Howard explains the courage it takes an actor to challenge himself with a difficult role by declaring, "I refuse to look like a fool."; Sunday Morning Shootout; AMC; Academy Awards; Terrence Howard; Oscars; Tim Robbins explains why so many studios passed on producing DEAD MAN WALKING.; Dead Man Walking; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Tim Robbins; Peter Guber; Tim Robbins describes how preparation for a role often forces an actor to withhold judgment and find compassion for historical figures that they would normally be repelled by.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Tim Robbins; Peter Guber; Tim Robbins reflects on the professional price of being active politically and the personal price of remaining silent. ; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Tim Robbins; Peter Guber; Vin Diesel explains why he fell in love with the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and what kept him playing even as he worked as a bouncer in New York City.; Vin Diesel; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Peter Guber; Dungeons & Dragons; Vin Diesel recounts how he bought a Sidney Lumet book to learn how to direct when he was embarking upon his career.; Sidney Lumet; Vin Diesel; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Peter Guber; Vin Diesel explains why he is the rare actor that actually enjoys promoting his movies.; Vin Diesel; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Peter Guber; Steven Spielberg describes his original vision for Dreamworks and reflects on the reality of the studio.; Sunday Morning Shootout; Peter Bart; AMC; Steven Spielberg; Peter Guber; Greg Kinnear and David T. Friendly discuss how their experimentation paid off when casting LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE; Little Miss Sunshine; David Friendly; Greg Kinnear; Jessica Biel shares her experience working with Adam Sandler and stresses the importance of variety in her film choices.; Jessica Biel;