The online magazine Film Threat placed Bush at the top of its "Frigid 50," an annual ranking of the "least-powerful, least-inspiring and least-intriguing people in Hollywood" in contrast to the "hot" lists that celebrity magazines often compile.
Film Threat's editors point out that Bush has been parodied in movies like "Transformers" and "American Dreamz" and scrutinized in documentaries such as "Sicko" and "No End in Sight."
"With all due respect to Hollywood," they wrote, "the mighty W is as much a cinema celebrity as the next despotic tyrant."
Coming in at No. 2 is someone who's a perennial fixture on those lists of the hot, sexy and powerful: Angelina Jolie.
"Traveling the Third World with a small army of stylists and publicists, the one-time Lara Croft feels like an unholy mix of Mother Teresa and Paris Hilton: Look at the poor, but make sure you get me in my best light," the magazine says. "Ironically, more people saw her in Cambodia or Namibia than in `A Mighty Heart.'"
Also making the "Frigid 50" are Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Hilary Swank for their less-than-stellar film choices of late, and Jon Heder who "hasn't made a single good movie" in the three years since "Napoleon Dynamite" made him a cult figure.
The "winners" in previous years include Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Michael Moore and Freddie Prinze Jr.
Source: www.cinema-pedia.com
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Bush Tops Film Threat's Frigid 50 List
Friday, November 2, 2007
Jerry Seinfeld vs. Denzel Washington: Who Ya Got?
As much as Bee Movie doesn't do the slightest bit to make me want to get up out of this chair and go to the theater, it is the first animated family film with any real power behind it in MONTHS. This time of year always has a drought of family entertainment and then everyone scratches their heads when something like The Game Plan cleans up. Families need something to take their kids to. No way does a bloody, period gangster film open bigger than a big-budget CG family film. Uh, uh.
In the critical arena: Winner = Denzel
Say what you will about bringing in the box office or Seinfeld's long running television history, one film is an epic gangster movie starring two powerhouse actors, the other is a kids movie about a bee. Oh, and did I mention Denzel was playing a bad guy again? Last time he did that he got himself his much-deserved Oscar. Oh yeah, and it's directed by Ridley Scott. The only way the critics could love this more is if someone like Russell Crowe were playing opposite Washington. Wait? What? He is? Oh, wow. American Gangster. Yeah, Seinfeld is toast in this category.
In their careers: Winner = Denzel
Okay, this one was almost a tie. Both of these guys are so A-List it hurts. Both have achieved the upper pinnacles of success in their respective fields. Denzel brings in the box office sales and has an Oscar; Jerry had a hit show for 10 years and sells out any venue he chooses to do stand-up in. I'd even hazard a guess that Jerry's richer. But Denzel's star continues to rise and his legend continues to grow. He could eventually win another Oscar. Jerry's career, well, it hasn't been so hot since he left TV. Ten years ago. Sure, he's raking in the mad syndication money, but career-wise Denzel has the most heat. So this leans ever so slightly towards Washington.
In a fight: Winner = Denzel
Okay. This one makes me giggle. Sure, these guys are both 53…but this is a fight I'd really like to see. A very short fight I'd really like to see. What's up with all this airline foo…hey! Ow! Stop that! Now that's comedy.
Source: www.cinema-pedia.com
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Unions Offering Support to Writers
A powerful branch of the Teamsters union told its 4,500 members they can honor picket lines if TV and film writers strike after their contract expires at midnight Wednesday.
Teamsters Local 399 said in a Web posting that as a union, it has a legal obligation to honor its contracts with producers.
But the local, which represents truck drivers, casting directors and location managers, said the clause does not apply to individuals, who are protected by federal law from employer retribution if they decide to honor picket lines.
"As for me as an individual, I will not cross any picket line whether it is sanctioned or not because I firmly believe that Teamsters do not cross picket lines," union local secretary-treasurer Leo Reed wrote.
Members of the Screen Actors Guild have also voiced strong support for writers, but officials with that union have said its 150,000 members were obligated to report to work if writers strike.
Negotiations between the 12,000-member Writers Guild of America and the group representing producers adjourned Tuesday without a deal, and both sides agreed to meet again Wednesday.
A federal mediator joined the talks in an effort to break a stalemate. The mediator will return Wednesday, when the WGA is expected to present an updated proposal.
A key issue involves giving writers more money from the sale of DVDs and the distribution of shows via the Internet, cell phones and other digital platforms.
Early Tuesday, writers visited studio lots to distribute leaflets to Teamster truck drivers urging support of their cause.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents networks and studios, sent a letter to craft unions representing electricians, drivers and other trades, reminding them of the "no strike" clauses in their contracts.
"We expect each union to comply with this no strike obligation and order your members to work," alliance president J. Nicholas Counter wrote.
A strike by writers would not immediately have an impact on TV or film production. Most shows have enough scripts in hand to get them though early next year.
After that, networks might turn to reality shows, news programs and reruns to fill the airwaves.
Source: www.cinema-pedia.com
Interview: Jerry Seinfeld on Bee Movie
So why animation over live-action?
Because I had done so much of that on the TV series. I had made 90 hours of programming. You cut that up, that's like 45 movies. So there was no movie that seemed exciting to me. "Yeah, I know, they give you the script, you stand over here..." I don't know...it just wasn't exciting.
But [then] I saw this whole technology, and the look of it is so different. I thought, "Gee, what if we took that look but [made them] talk like I want them to talk, maybe that would be something interesting." I just got excited about it.
Did becoming a father have something to do with it?
No. [Laughs] I just wanted to do something different.
[But] it is funny how it worked out. I have three kids -- six, four, and two. Of course, I know all their friends so now I know millions of kids. And I realized these kids are going to go nuts [over Bee Movie]. Sometimes when their friends are over I show them little clips on the computer that I'm working on for whatever reason. And they'll come in and they'll watch it. They go nuts. It's so fun. There's nothing more fun than entertaining kids.
Do you find there's a big difference in the kind of comedy you have to invent between mediums?
There's a big difference. Sometimes you can do certain things on stage, or even in a TV series, and people see the look on your face and they know what you mean, so you can get away with certain things. But if you can't create that look on an animated character, which is essentially a puppet, the line will hit the audience in a very bad way.
[It's] like a petting zoo and you're blindfolded. They want you to take care of this animal, which is your show. But you're blindfolded. We're going to put you in a room with the animal, and the food that it needs. And everything it needs is in the room, and you're in the room with the animal. But you're blindfolded. So you go into this room and start feeling around for this stuff. Feel a little fur, and you feel a little claw. And you go, "Oh, my God, what is this thing?"
This is the great advantage that you have doing a TV series. Say, for example, my series -- which is the only one I know anything about -- by year four, we knew exactly what this thing ate, when it wanted to go out, how it liked to be petted. What it liked and what it didn't like. And what makes a movie so challenging -- so much more challenging than a TV series, frankly -- is that you never get that opportunity. Because you make a TV show and you put it out there and you get a reaction. You go, "Okay, this work. This doesn't work." You put out another one. "They like this. They don't like this." But with a movie, you get one shot at it. Even though you have test screenings, pretty much, we're going to put this lemur in people's living rooms. And, just, bang, they're going to react to it. I hope I didn't over-answer your question. [Laughs]
This is one of my big things of creative pursuits. You have your idea you want to do, but then you got to figure out what does this thing want to be? You got to let it lead you a little.
And how were the test screenings?
Well, you know, I like to try anything. So we would have some horrible ones. We'd try crazy things just to see how they reacted. Some of the work, some of them don't. Comedy is a very scientific exploration. You have to do the experiments to find out what the formulas are.
How much did you put yourself into the character of Barry?
How much? As much as I have. I don't really know how to do it any other way. I think in a TV series I could be a little more obnoxious. This character in this movie is never obnoxious. He's a little nicer than I am. So I actually took a little of myself out.
How much of Bee Movie is yours? Is it a collaborative effort between you and Dreamworks or do you feel that this is entirely your vision?
There's nothing "entirely." You have 350 people working on this thing. [But] I would say the tone, the comedy of it is mine. Even though I work with writers, I'm in charge of what goes in the script and what doesn't. Win or lose, [that] is my thing.
How involved were you with the casting of the other voices?
I was involved in every single aspect of everything. [Laughs] From the cars they drove, to the ties they wore, to the desks they sat at. Not to say that I came up with it all, but it was brought to me. "Do you like it like this? Do you like it like that?" All day, every day. It was ridiculous. [Laughs.]
Was there a lot of ad-libbing in Bee Movie?
Some of it we'd use, some of it we didn't. We had a scene about [Renee Zellweger's character] trying to have coffee with [Barry]. We read the scenes a few times and we got all the lines. So I said, "Okay, just try to get me to have coffee. Just keep pushing me to have coffee and I'm going to say, 'Nah, I don't want any.'" And a lot of that made it into the movie. It gives it some life if you do it that way.
Were the TV and movie teasers your idea?
Yeah. I wanted to do something that signaled to the public that this is not going to be the same flavor that you're used to getting from animated movies. I [know] that a certain type of moviegoing audience [will say], "Here comes the next Dreamworks movie. Here comes the next Pixar movie." You don't know what this is going to be.
What did you do different from other animated movies?
Some of the way we recorded dialogue was different. The jokes that we make are different. It's got its own personality. It definitely does not feel like a slice off of the same loaf. Certainly, [not like] all these animal movies, which, believe me, I'm as sick of as you are.
During the Cannes Film Festival, I heard you jumped off a hotel, and dived eight stories into a pool.
You just heard about it? You should check on that. [Laughs] It was a little nutty. But I was told that during the Cannes Film Festival, people do crazy things. You know, Sacha Cohen did that crazy thing on the beach. Did you hear about that? You have a computer, don't you? [Laughs]
Source: www.cinema-pedia.com
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Jerry Seinfeld Returns With Bee Movie
Wait, wasn't that TV show "Seinfeld"? One of the greatest comedies in TV history? You know, the one with double-dippers, puffy shirts and mimbos?
Seinfeld, it seems, has moved on more than most of his audience. Though "the TV show" ended its historic run in 1998, the perpetual glow of "Seinfeld" has been mostly uninterrupted because its star and namesake has remained largely out of sight like his beloved Superman resting in his Fortress of Solitude.
Seinfeld has even been called "the J.D. Salinger of television," as Conan O'Brien recently joked.
"I'm doing as much as I possibly can, I promise you," says Seinfeld, archly defending himself with a laugh in his Manhattan office, where the award statuettes are outnumbered only by the many model cars that dot the room.
The 53-year-old comedian is releasing "Bee Movie," a film which began as a causal pun made over dinner with Steven Spielberg. A call was then placed to Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of Dreamworks Animation SKG, and the small joke eventually spiraled into a $150 million blockbuster which Seinfeld has spent more than three years writing, producing and voicing the main character.
Seinfeld, of course, hasn't been doing nothing since "Seinfeld." He and wife Jessica were married in 1999 and have since had three children. Seinfeld's mission has generally been to return to being a standup comedian; his relentless work to build a new act was documented in the 2002 film "Comedian."
But that documentary grossed less than $3 million in limited release. Tens of thousands have seen Seinfeld in comedy clubs across the country contributing a significant chunk of estimated yearly earnings of $60 million, including $15 million for "Seinfeld" residuals, according to Forbes.
To those who wish they saw him more, Seinfeld replies with his characteristic flare for language: "Me too, but I wonder if they would be willing to accept me being not good. I wish I could do more, too, but I can't do more as good, so I figure I'll do less, but good."
For years Katzenberg pitched movie roles to Seinfeld, who had numerous opportunities to star in films. So why did Seinfeld make "Bee Movie" his first feature film and his first major post-"Seinfeld" project?
"One very simple difference, but it made all the difference in the world: This was his idea," says Katzenberg. "If you look at Jerry's work, his entire career was always about doing things he authored."
Katzenberg adds: "Jerry has his own rhythms and his own interests."
Like the bees depicted in "Bee Movie," Seinfeld believes in sticking to what you do best, and for him, that's centered upon the comedic persona he's sharpened and refined over decades. He would rather leave the acting to the pros. "Tom Hanks is available. He can do it," he jokes.
Finding a new challenge, though, was imperative.
"That's why I haven't made a live action movie," Seinfeld says, explaining that it would be "too similar to what we did on the show. ... And I have no need for the ego gratification of `Hey, I'm in a movie.' But this medium was so different and interesting that kind of sparked my energy."
The comedian acknowledges that his energy was low after working on "Seinfeld" for nearly a decade. The painstaking process of creating an animated movie, though, has left him "even more tired than I was before," he says.
What's distinctive about "Bee Movie" is how thoroughly it's imbued with Seinfeld's sense of humor. The involvement of talent in animated films doesn't typically go beyond a few days in a sound studio, but "Bee Movie" is essentially Seinfeld in bee form. Though Dreamworks is pitching it as a family movie, Seinfeld never had kids in mind when writing it.
"You should feel like you really spent time with my outlook on silliness, I guess," he says. "That's why I tried to put my fingerprint on everything in the movie so it feels like it was made by one person. Sometimes that studio, corporate feel the movies can feel very processed so it feels like generic entertainment."
Evident is Seinfeld's love of details (the bees can survive up to about 75-pages of magazine thickness, making the especially thick Italian Vogue the most frightening of weapons), his gift for gymnastic phrasing (his character remarks: "There's quite a bit of pomp under the circumstances") and his sometimes overlooked inclination for pushing comedy to surreal ends.
That was most obvious once his "Seinfeld" partner and co-creator Larry David left the show before the last two seasons, leading to some out-there plots (like Kramer hydrating Jerry's car with his own blood). In "Bee Movie," the bee voiced by Seinfeld sues honey companies for stealing the bees' honey.
"I always try to work personally," he explains. "On the TV show, we never thought we would have an across-the-board appeal we didn't seek it. We just thought, `Let's make our little thing and whoever likes it, likes it.' I tried the same thing with this."
Seinfeld has a lot riding on "Bee Movie," and he has aggressively (and creatively) promoted it like bungee-jumping at the Cannes Film Festival and hosting a series of one-minute sketch comedy promos he calls "TV Juniors."
The unflappable Seinfeld acknowledges: "I'm a little keyed up about the movie's opening. I think of it as extreme interest in the outcome."
Once the fanfare of "Bee Movie" has subsided, Seinfeld simply is planning to hit the road again and get back to what he calls his "normal, daily life": writing and honing his standup act.
Still, he says, "It's fun to chop down a big tree once in a while. I don't know if I could live this way all the time, but every once in a while. I think that's why people run these marathons: `I wonder if I could run that far without dying.' It's idiotic, but it's part of human nature."
Source: www.cinema-pedia.com