Quentin Tarantino Plays Film Guru at Cannes
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Drama, Period, Awards, Celeb News, Filmmaking, Scripts,
Just when legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino had seemed to have had enough with Cannes, organizers of the event announced last Thursday that he will be teaching this year’s Cinema Masterclass.
It is no doubt that the living icon will have more than enough to teach upcoming directors, for he himself has not only won the 1994 Palme d’Or award for Pulp Fiction, but also appeared as a judge for the festival in 2004. Along with his overwhelming accomplishments, Tarantino’s affinity and love for film have always made his interviews and speaking events quite memorable for fans everywhere.
Previous teachers of the Masterclass include Sydney Pollack, Stephen Frears and most recently, Martin Scorsese.
Who knows, perhaps this will push him to finish Inglorious Bastards, eh?
Hollywood Reporter
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Death Proof Fails to Stand Alone in the UK
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Weinstein Company, Action, Thrillers, Box Office, Distribution, New Releases,
Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof opened in the UK last week, its producers, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, hopefully anticipating the result of their decision to split the film from its counterpart, Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror. But without the nostalgia of a bygone B-movie tradition and the novelty of a rare double-feature bridged together with wonderfully cheesy trailers in a faux-intermission, the film didn’t manage to captivate British audiences; if it did, they certainly weren’t compelled to go to the theater in great numbers. The film debuted in a pathetic sixth place at the box-office (£407,525 or $821,623) behind only one other opener: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, which came in third.
As you may recall, Grindhouse walked away from the US box-office with a measly $24.9 million despite critical praise, something The Weinsteins chalked up to the uniqueness of the movie coupled with a long run-time and poor marketing. The decision to split the film into two separate entities for overseas distribution and DVD release was an attempt to recoup the losses incurred by that poor US performance. The marketing for the UK release of Death Proof hinged on Tarantino’s name and credibility, since he’d had successful openings in the past (Reservoir Dogs actually had better attendance there than in the US).
Click to continue reading Death Proof Fails to Stand Alone in the UK
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FilmCrunch 054: Grindhouse, The Hoax, Notes on a Scandal, Jessica Biel
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Fox Searchlight, Miramax, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Horror, Period, Comedy, Thrillers, DVD Reviews, Full Episodes, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts,
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review Grindhouse, The Hoax, and Notes on a Scandal in this episode of FilmCrunch. Also, Veronica shares her disdain regarding Jessica Biel and her lack of clothing in movie trailers.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
Box Office Breakdown: Oscar Winners Fail to Prevail
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Mystery, Period, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
DISTURBIA [di-stur’-bee-uh), noun:
A rare state that occurs when three previous Oscar winners (e.g. Berry, Swank, Tarantino) struggle to remain in the Top Ten. This anomaly often coincides with the meteoric rise of a 20-year-old star (e.g. Lebeouf).
1. Disturbia, Paramount, $22,224,982
2. Blades of Glory, Paramount, $13,826,386
3. Meet the Robinsons, Disney, $12,467,155
4. Perfect Stranger, Sony, $11,206,163
5. Are We Done Yet?, Sony, $8,952,686
6. Pathfinder, Fox, $5,001,214
7. Wild Hogs, Disney, $4,676,734
8. The Reaping, Warner Bros., $4,567,478
9. 300, Warner Bros., $4,454,355
10. Grindhouse, Weinstein Co., $4,331,372
Moviegoers Take Note: Grindhouse May Soon Be Split
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Weinstein Company, Action, Horror, Thrillers, Box Office, Distribution, Filmmaking, New Releases,
If you haven’t gone to see Grindhouse yet, now might be the best time. The three hour and twelve minute long double feature, directed cooperatively by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, finished a distant fourth last weekend at $11.6 million. The reason? Despite an abundance of positive reviews, many analysts say the film is just too long to attract a mass audience; Harvey Weinstein, head of Weinstein Co. and one of the film’s executive producers, concurs. And, said Weinstein, if the film fails to improve in profits over the coming weekend, the double feature could be split and shown separately for the remainder of its theatrical release. The decision to divide the two 70s-themed gorefests has already been made for their international and DVD releases; now, in a rather sad turn of events, the gimmick on which this unique homage hinges may be torn asunder before our very eyes. So, for all of you still sitting at home polishing off the last of the Cadbury Creme Eggs, this may be the only week to see Grindhouse exactly as the filmmakers intended. On the other hand, those of you steering clear of this lengthy film may find things a bit more palatable in a week or so.
Read More | E! Online
Box Office Breakdown: Metal Blades Take Down Machine Gun Leg
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Period, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Not even the combined directing muscle of Team Tarantino/Rodriguez could take away the gold medal from Team Ferrell/Heder. Despite the publicity onslaught, Grindhouse didn’t even score a silver. Heck, it didn’t even make the medal platform. But I guess it could have been worse. Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank not only placed fifth—but she too was beat out by a family friendly Ice Cube. I think it’s now safe to say that the plagues have officially commenced..
1. Blades of Glory, Paramount, $22,522,330
2. Meet the Robinsons, Disney, $16,715,437
3. Are We Done Yet?, Sony, $14,262,724
4. Grindhouse, Weinstein Co., $11,596,613
5. The Reaping, Warner Bros., $10,025,203
6. 300, Warner Bros., $8,368,382
7. Wild Hogs, Disney, $6,644,971
8. Shooter, Paramount, $5,856,494
9. TMNT, Warner Bros., $4,825,445
10. Firehouse Dog, Fox, $3,838,916
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