Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince trailer

LA Times: Dark Knight to Unseat Titanic?

'The Dark Knight' enters 'Titanic' territory
By John Horn, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer July 29, 2008

It's as hallowed a statistic to Hollywood as Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak is to baseball: "Titanic's" record box-office gross of $600.8 million. All of a sudden, that mark might be within " The Dark Knight's" reach.

Distribution executives have started debating in earnest the potential total "Dark Knight" haul, which already has passed $300 million and is projected to eclipse the $400-million mark on Aug. 4 or 5. Although half a dozen industry insiders surveyed Monday said "Titanic's" record appeared safe for now, the majority of distribution executives placed the film's probable final gross just past $500 million, thanks in part to repeat business from across the audience spectrum.

That would make "The Dark Knight" the second-highest grossing film of all-time, ahead of 1977's "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" (whose combined theatrical releases total $461 million) and 2004's "Shrek 2" ($436.7 million).

Full story here.

W Trailer

The trailer for W, Oliver Stone's bio-pic of George W. Bush, is now online. When I first heard about this film I was not sure if it would work, but it looks like Stone has made his first official comedy (not counting Natural Born Killers) and it might just work.

Variety: SAG nixes AMPTP's final offer

SAG nixes AMPTP's final offer
By Dave McNary, Variety

SAG's still not ready to close a deal with the majors -- signaling that the thesps' contract stalemate will linger on into the late summer.

The guild on Thursday officially rejected the final offer by the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers on grounds the pact falls short in such areas as new media and DVD residuals, along with product integration and force majeure protections.
SAG made several counteroffers but the majors insisted they're done negotiating and that the final offer is indeed final.

SAG president Alan Rosenberg told Daily Variety that guild leaders also spurned the majors' request that the offer be sent to the guild's 120,000 members.

"We're not ready to send this to our members," he added. "We can't recommend a deal that they won't approve."

The AMPTP responded by saying that any further delay in reaching a deal is a "disservice" to the thousands of working people already being harmed by the production slowdown. "The last thing we need is a long, hot summer of labor strife that puts even more pressure on a badly struggling economy and deprives audiences of the entertainment they clearly desire in such difficult times," it added.

SAG national exec director Doug Allen took issue with the characterization that SAG had rejected the final offer.

"We accepted pieces of their offer," he said. "And we made several big moves in their direction. So to say we rejected is not fair."
The congloms responded by blasting SAG leaders for foot-dragging and being unrealistic in believing that SAG deserves a better deal than the DGA, WGA and AFTRA.

"Today's meeting demonstrated that SAG's Membership First contingent unreasonably expects to obtain more in these negotiations than directors, writers and other actors obtained during their negotiations. AMPTP has already achieved four major labor agreements this year," the AMPTP said. "The refusal of SAG's Hollywood leadership to accept this offer is the latest in a series of actions by SAG leaders that, in our opinion, puts labor peace at risk."

Rosenberg and Allen would not disclose the guild's counterproposals but it's believed SAG agree to the congloms' proposed salary minimums. But the guild held back on other major concessions such as insisting on jurisdiction over all new media and keeping a DVD residual hike on the table.
SAG's negotiating committee meets today but it hasn't set another get-together with the AMPTP.

It's unclear what happens next. SAG's official rejection of the final offer and AMPTP's request for a membership vote sets the stage for a possible move by the majors to declare an impasse and impose the terms and conditions of the new offer.

SAG's rejection came even though its strike threat has waned due to the ratification on Tuesday of AFTRA's primetime pact despite SAG's fervent lobbying of its 44,000 members who also belong to AFTRA. Because of the high hurdle SAG faces in getting 75% of its members to back a strike, speculation is mounting in the biz that studios may gamble on moving forward with new feature productions despite the uncertainty created by the SAG contract limbo.

Rosenberg said SAG still hasn't scheduled a strike authorization vote. SAG's previous contract expired June 30.

In the days leading up to Thursday's meeting, SAG leaders had given every indication that the guild was going to spurn the AMPTP's deal and opt to extend the talks. For their part, the congloms say their offer, made a few hours before SAG's contract expired last week, contains more than $250 million in pay increases over three years -- with terms matching the just-ratified AFTRA primetime deal.

SAG's rejection came two days after it lost leverage by failing to defeat the AFTRA deal, which was approved by 62% of those voting. And Thursday's rejection imperils the guild's prospects of obtaining an additional $10 million for members via a retroactivity provision that takes effect if the guild ratifies the deal by Aug. 15.

In addition, AFTRA is now free to cut into SAG jurisdiction by signing new TV shows shot on digital to its deal.

Although the majors may move soon to impose the new contract terms, there's a growing consensus that they may not opt to go with the impasse strategy. That route contains the potential drawback that SAG would probably be able to go to court and tie up implementation of the new terms and conditions.

Instead, the lack of resolution plus SAG's failure to defeat the AFTRA deal have led to a growing consensus among producers that SAG's not going to strike -- as long as the congloms don't inflame the situation by locking out actors.

For SAG, the 75% support required in a strike authorization vote is a longshot given the worsening economy, the lingering hangover from the WGA strike and SAG's inability to persuade enough of its 44,000 members who also belong to AFTRA to vote down that deal. A strike authorization vote would take about three weeks.

Producers had pulled the plug on most film shooting by June 30 due to the uncertainty over a SAG strike. But more than a dozen TV series and pilots remained in production along with some of the 355 indie features that signed guild waivers -- and with SAG looking unlikely to strike, that activity may begin returning to normal levels sooner rather than later.

One attraction for companies pondering that route at this point: Productions would be shot under the less expensive terms and conditions of the expired SAG deal.

Link.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

Maverick at the Movies will be recorded and broadcast from 89.5 KQAL FM in Winona, Minnesota, starting in the very near future. Details are soft at the moment, but the expansion is definite. The program will continue to be available on 89.7 KMSU FM in Mankato, Minnesota.

AFI's Top 10 Genre Films

The American Film Institute has released yet another list, this one selecting ten different genres and identifying their picks of the ten greatest films in each of them. You can find the lists and supplementary material here.

The Lists:

Animation

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937
2. Pinocchio, 1940
3. Bambi, 1942
4. The Lion King, 1994
5. Fantasia, 1940
6. Toy Story, 1995
7. Beauty and the Beast, 1991
8. Shrek, 2001
9. Cinderella, 1950
10. Finding Nemo, 2003

Not a bad list, although it's very Disney heavy and family friendly. I would prefer Beauty and the Beast closer to the top, if not at the top, since the animation in it is so well done. It also would be nice to see some more diverse films and pictures that aren't geared for children like South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut or Waking Life.

Fantasy

1. The Wizard of Oz, 1939
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001
3. It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946
4. King Kong, 1933
5. Miracle on 34th Street, 1947
6. Field of Dreams, 1989
7. Harvey, 1950
8. Groundhog Day, 1993
9. The Thief of Bagdad, 1924
10. Big, 1988

The top half of the list is fairly predictable and it's nice to see a film like The Thief of Bagdad included here. I'm also happy that they looked beyond sword and shield fantasy like Lord of the Rings and include Field of Dreams and It's a Wonderful Life. Big and Groundhog Day are a surprise. They are not bad films but I think something with more depth to it like The Fountain would be nice to see here instead.

Gangster

1. The Godfather, 1972
2. Goodfellas, 1990
3. The Godfather Part II, 1974
4. White Heat, 1949
5. Bonnie and Clyde, 1967
6. Scarface: The Shame of a Nation, 1932
7. Pulp Fiction, 1994
8. The Public Enemy, 1931
9. Little Caesar, 1930
10. Scarface, 1983

This is probably the best list. I'm very happy to see both versions of Scarface here. I think The Departed was actually superior to Goodfellas, but at this point it's probably too recent of a film to make an AFI list just yet.

Science Fiction

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968
2. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, 1977
3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982
4. A Clockwork Orange, 1971
5. The Day The Earth Stood Still, 1951
6. Blade Runner, 1982
7. Alien, 1979
8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 1991
9. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956
10. Back to the Future, 1985

Any one of these are terrific examples of science fiction, but I would take the original Terminator over the sequel and Robocop over Back to the Future. Star Wars really does not belong on this list; the film is a fantasy with high technology, and should be on that list instead, probably in place of Miracle of 34th Street. Similarly, Alien is primarily a horror film.

Western

1. The Searchers, 1956
2. High Noon, 1952
3. Shane, 1953
4. Unforgiven, 1992
5. Red River, 1948
6. The Wild Bunch, 1969
7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969
8. McCabe & Mrs. Miller, 1971
9. Stagecoach, 1939
10. Cat Ballou, 1965

A pretty solid list, although I would recommend Dances With Wolves in place of Cat Ballou and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in place of Shane. I would love to see Soldier Blue, Tombstone, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance here as well.

Sports

1. Raging Bull, 1980
2. Rocky, 1976
3. The Pride of the Yankees, 1942
4. Hoosiers, 1986
5. Bull Durham, 1988
6. The Hustler, 1961
7. Caddyshack, 1980
8. Breaking Away, 1979
9. National Velvet, 1944
10. Jerry Maguire, 1996

I question placing Jerry Maguire on this list. Although it is about a sports agent, the football is primarily in the background. Also, Raging Bull is primarily a bio-pic, one of the genres ignored by the AFI.

Mystery

1. Vertigo, 1958
2. Chinatown, 1974
3. Rear Window, 1954
4. Laura, 1944
5. The Third Man, 1949
6. The Maltese Falcon, 1941
7. North By Northwest, 1959
8. Blue Velvet, 1986
9. Dial M for Murder, 1954
10. The Usual Suspects, 1995

The distinction between this list and the gangster film get a little muddled with films like The Usual Suspects, Chinatown, and Blue Velvet.

Romantic Comedy

1. City Lights, 1931
2. Annie Hall, 1977
3. It Happened One Night, 1934
4. Roman Holiday, 1953
5. The Philadelphia Story, 1940
6. When Harry Met Sally ..., 1989
7. Adam’s Rib, 1949
8. Moonstruck, 1987
9. Harold and Maude, 1971
10. Sleepless in Seattle, 1993

This is a very specialized category and there is not much I can challenge, although I would suggest Napoleon Dynamite in place of Sleepless in Seattle. I am happy to see Harold and Maude here.

Courtroom Drama

1. To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962
2. 12 Angry Men, 1957
3. Kramer Vs. Kramer, 1979
4. The Verdict, 1982
5. A Few Good Men, 1992
6. Witness for the Prosecution, 1957
7. Anatomy of a Murder, 1959
8. In Cold Blood, 1967
9. A Cry in the Dark, 1988
10. Judgment at Nuremberg, 1961

Another highly specialized genre. Not much to argue with here although Judgement at Nuremberg at number ten could probably be flipped with A Few Good Men at number five.

Epic

1. Lawrence of Arabia, 1962
2. Ben-Hur, 1959
3. Schindler’s List, 1993
4. Gone With the Wind, 1939
5. Spartacus, 1960
6. Titanic, 1997
7. All Quiet on the Western Front, 1930
8. Saving Private Ryan, 1998
9. Reds, 1981
10. The Ten Commandments, 1956

This list has several films that don't belong here. Schindler's List, Titanic, and Saving Private Ryan are solid movies but they are not epics. They do not have the kind of narrative scope becoming of the genre. Dances With Wolves, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, and Braveheart would be more appropriate.

Criticism of the AFI's List

As I have often said, I have problems with AFI and their lists. Like the MPAA, the AFI caters to studio and corporate interests with a preference for big Hollywood films by and staring major Hollywood figures. Hollywood is fine and big budget studio pictures are fine; I have no problem with large productions and I certainly would not dismiss a film because it made money. However, there are no independent films and some suspect titles on their lists. Last year's 100 Films list included The Sixth Sense and Titanic; while I do enjoy those films, I don't think they should be categorized next to Casablanca and Vertigo.

This particular list has some inherent problems. First, a lot of films, especially those made today, crisscross genres. For instance, Lord of the Rings is found on the fantasy list but it could easily qualify as an epic. Second, the selection of genres on this list is apparently arbitrary. Courtroom Drama and Romantic Comedy are very particular and do not match with the more general categories.

Alternative Lists

It's possible that the AFI ignored some genres, like Musicals, because they have dealt with the topic in another list, but in the cases of Horror and Documentary the AFI has refused to acknowledge them at all in their lists, and this is highly suspect because these genres are most independent of the studio system.

What follows are alternative lists for genres that the AFI ignored. These are not definitive list, just ten suggestions for each category, listed in no particular order. I've conformed to the AFI's rule of only American films.

Musicals

• Dreamgirls
• Chicago
• West Side Story
• Yankee Doodle Dandy
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• The Doors
• Little Shop of Horrors, 1986
• The Sound of Music
• Pink Floyd: The Wall

Horror

• Psycho, 1960
• Jaws
• The Hills Have Eyes, 1977
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• The Silence of the Lambs
• Night of the Living Dead, 1968
• Frankenstein, 1931
• Halloween 1978
• The Exorcist
• The Thing, 1982

Comedy

• Stripes
• Ghostbusters
• Dumb and Dumber
• Some Like It Hot
• The Big Lebowski
• Caddyshack
• Duck Soup
• Annie Hall
• Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
• The Gold Rush

War

• Platoon
• Apocalypse Now
• The Thin Red Line, 1998
• Saving Private Ryan
• The Longest Day, 1962
• Patton
• The Deer Hunter
• Coming Home
• Full Metal Jacket
• Letters from Iwo Jima

Action/Adventure

• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Die Hard
• Treasure of the Sierra Madre
• The African Queen
• The Adventures of Robin Hood
• Kill Bill
• Enter the Dragon
• Lethal Weapon
• Superman: The Movie
• First Blood

Romance

• Titanic
• Romeo and Juliet, 1968
• Gone With the Wind
• The Graduate
• Out of Africa
• The English Patient
• As Good As It Gets
• An Officer and a Gentleman
• Brokeback Mountain
• From Here to Eternity

Documentaries

• Vernon, Florida
• Bowling for Columbine
• When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
• The Fog of War
• Hearts and Minds
• When We Were Kings
• Woodstock
• Nanook of the North
• Jazz, 2001
• Why We Fight, 1943-45

EW on Sydney Pollack

Entertainment Weekly's website has a short but interesting piece reflecting on the career of Sydney Pollack, who passed away earlier this week. Here is an excerpt:

Sydney Pollack made movies for grownups. He didn't make movies about teenager-stalking slashers or CGI monsters or men in tights (well, except for Tootsie). The director, who died yesterday at 73, seems like the last of a breed, a filmmaker who specialized in old-fashioned, star-driven, sweeping romances and epics of the kind that used to win Oscars but that Hollywood has all but forgotten how to make. (About the only other director of recent years who still made such anachronistic spectacles was Pollack's producing partner, Anthony Minghella, who died just two months ago.) It's hard to imagine anyone trying nowadays to make a romance with the sprawl and scope of The Way We Were or Out of Africa, movies with artistic ambition, star-powered glamour, and faith that there are enough adult ticketbuyers to make them hits without pandering.