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Open Road Films to Offer “Dope” for Bitcoin
In an exclusive story from The Wrap, production company Open Road Films announced that they would be allowing tickets for their film Dope to be purchased with the digital currency bitcoin. The indie comedy, which was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival this year, prominently features bitcoin as a plot detail when the main characters look for a way to exchange a drug windfall into some quick cash. This film was already in my sights as an understated coming-of-age comedy full of ‘90s references and weird web humor, and while this bitcoin move seems to be largely a marketing ploy, it has definitely piqued my attention further (and to be fair, what isn’t a marketing ploy these days?).
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Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” to Debut on Select 70mm Screens on Christmas Day
After Inside Out is released next week (which I get to see on Tuesday!), there’s probably only two films that I absolutely have to see for the remainder of 2015: Star Wars The Force Awakens, and Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight – and it looks like I’ll get to see both in December. It was announced today that The Hateful Eight would be released on Christmas day in select theaters capable of displaying the 70mm projection, in which Tarantino chose to shoot the entirety of the film (technically, he shot it in 65mm, the other five holds audio tracks, but who’s counting?). This results in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, a panoramic widescreen view akin to an IMAX theater. In fact, Tarantino is making an effort to install 70mm projectors in various theatres across the United States in order to promote his love of shooting on film (a real passion of his – he hates digital filmmaking). For those theaters that cannot handle 70mm, The Hateful Eight will play nationwide a couple of weeks later on January 8th.
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Biopic “Love & Mercy” Applies Musical Genius of Brian Wilson to Cinematic Storytelling
There is a moment late in the second act of the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy where everyone is celebrating the success of the Good Vibrations single and lyricist Van Dyke Parks is tasked with describing the next project, which Brian wants to call SMiLE. Parks describes it as a mixture of various artists ranging from Phil Spektor to Beethoven (I have no chance of re-producing the exact sequence here, and can’t find it online, but it is a cool little line). Similarly, Love & Mercy can be described as a mishmash of Amadeus, A Beautiful Mind, and Shine – with elements of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and even 2001: A Space Odyssey. That is rarefied air, but entirely deserved, and the film should please both die-hard fans of The Beach Boys as well as general audiences with its unique style of musical storytelling and parallel story structure.
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The Fantastic Journey of Gaspar Noé’s “Enter the Void”
Enter the Void is not an easy movie to watch, and that isn’t simply because it contains a startling killing, gratuitous sex, and a horrific car accident which routinely interjects the narrative. When you watch the most recent film from Gaspar Noé (at least until Love is released later this year), you are cast into an active role as the main character in the film. Ostensibly, you are Oscar, and get to experience his world and story through his very own eyes. The entirety of the film is shot from Oscar’s point-of-view, and we only get to see his face in mirrors a handful of times. This perspective doesn’t even shift when Oscar is killed and his consciousness leaves his body – we still view the remainder of the film, including multiple flashbacks and flashforwards through this lens. This single effect give Enter the Void an encompassing feel, as though the entire world of the film reaches out and surrounds the viewer, challenging us with the psychedelic neon colors, flashing lights, and unabashed raw energy. Immersed in this world, we are forced to confront the troubling aspects of Oscars past, present, and future as we rocket inexorably towards a new beginning and a new understanding of life.
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“Zootopia” Teaser Gives Glimpse of a Greater World
Earlier today, Disney released the first teaser trailer for their next animated feature Zootopia. This film is Disney’s follow-up to the successful Big Hero 6, and as explained by the wonderful Jason Bateman (the voice of the fox Nick Wilde), Zootopia is a world where there never were humans, and the mammals all have human characteristics. They walk on two feet (especially funny for the giraffes), wear clothes, and take selfies. The animals still have their “natural” attributes as well, from night vision to sensitive hearing, and will likely take advantage of them for plot purposes, but we don’t know too much about that.
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20th Century Fox Moves “The Martian” Release . . . Forward!
It seems like 20th Century Fox was pleased with the response to its marketing onslaught for the new Ridley Scott film, The Martian. The film was originally slated for a November 25th release date, but the production studio announced today that the release would be moved to October 2nd, swapping places with another Fox property, Victor Frankenstein. While technically it is hard to determine whether this move represents additional confidence in The Martian, or fears about Victor Frankenstein (or both), I think we can make the most sense of this move by analyzing the context in which these films will now compete.
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“Jenny’s Wedding” Acquired by IFC, Set for July 31st Release
In a Variety Exclusive it was announced that IFC has acquired the rights to Jenny’s Wedding, an indie dramedy (which is apparently a word we’re going forward with) starring Katherine Heigl, Alexis Bledel, Linda Emond, and Tom Wilkinson. The film was written, directed, and produced by Mary Agnes Donoghue, who has a number of writing credits to her name (most notably Beaches), but only a single other director’s credit (Paradise, from 1991). This film will tell the story of the Jenny Farrell who, while being openly gay, has kept her sexual orientation from her parents (Wilkinson and Emond). When she reveals that she wants to start a family with her longtime “roommate” Kitty (Alexis Bledel), everyone is forced to come to terms with things. The film is now set for a July 31st release date in the United States.
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Katniss Overthrows Tyrannical Government in “New Mockingjay Part 2” Trailer
Ever since those in charge of the Harry Potter franchise decided that they could make an extra movie near the end without anyone really caring, it has been a common practice, and the story usually suffers. It was the same with The Hunger Games franchise, as the first part of the final book was all set-up. Earlier this morning the first trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 was released online, and it appears promising. There is a distinct revolutionary tone to the snippets of action and conversations, and it is clear that this final film will attempt to deliver on all the wheel-spinning of Mockingjay Part 1 with a stunning climax.
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With “The Raid 2”, Gareth Evans Establishes the Action Franchise of the Decade
A sequel to a great film has to find a Goldilocks zone between two guaranteed recipes for failure. Should the sequel exploit the success of the original and attempt to re-tell the same story, it will feel derivative and add nothing. This is epitomized by The Hangover sequels. At the other end of the spectrum, if a sequel departs completely from the original, it feels isolated and disconnected, leading an audience to feel cheated of what they loved from the originals. The greatest sequels in film history use the characters and world from the originals and expand upon them. Like The Godfather Part II, a great sequel can delve deeper into major characters and explore their motivations outside of their original context from the earlier film. Or, like Aliens, it can utilize the critical component of the original in an entirely new environment or genre of story. The Raid 2, from Gareth Evans, accomplishes both of these feats by taking the Rama character (Iko Uwais, again doubling as the lead fight choreographer) from the original and placing him undercover in pursuit of an organized crime syndicate. Here we get to explore more of Rama’s world and character, and we are rewarded well for our journey.
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“The Martian” Previews Showcase Wit, Intellect, and Excitement
Last week we only had a few stills from Ridley Scott’s adaptation of the Andy Weir novel The Martian, but we have started this week off with a bang, receiving not only a neat little viral marketing video, but also a full-length trailer spanning three-and-a-half minutes! Clearly, the marketing department for this flick has decided to hit the ground running, so let’s go ahead and try to keep up. The story is described as Apollo 13 meets Cast Away: astronaut Mark Watney is stranded on Mars and has to improvise to both contact NASA to effect a rescue mission, and then survive for the requisite time it will take for the rescuers to arrive.
Film Criticism and Fiction Writing by Derek Jacobs
