Sugar and Spies

If you've checked out my Reel Life series you know I have a deep interest in relating real-world happenings with on-screen possibilities. As much as I enjoy considering which underreported news stories could blossom into captivating films, though, I also love hearing new updates on particular issues after movies have covered them. Recently I read two articles that related to films from 2009, and what I learned in both instances was surprising and disappointing. 

Last spring, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden's little-seen baseball drama, Sugar, had what anyone would consider a rather poor public reception. The film received a healthy dose of buzz when it played Sundance back in January 2008, but by the time it landed in theaters last spring (advantageously right at the beginning of baseball season), some kind of moviegoing malaise had descended on American audiences. Oh, wait, nevermind - turns out people were just flocking in record numbers to Fast & Furious, because, you know, you can never see Vin Diesel smirk from behind the wheel of a sports car enough times. And so, while Sugar earned a superb 93% RT/82 Metacritic rating it only grossed a paltry $1.1 million at the worldwide box office. 

It was this disappointing show of interest from Americans (wasn't baseball once the national pastime?) that made a recent article I read in TIME all the more frustrating. Sean Gregory wrote a well-balanced piece about the professional baseball industry farmed out of the Dominican Republic ("Baseball Dreams: Striking Out in the Dominican Republic", 7/26/10), but not once did he mention Sugar, which, if you don't know, examines the professional baseball industry farmed out of the Dominican Republic. How is that possible? How do you write an article on this subject for a mass audience without discussing a recently acclaimed film that was shot on location in the very place you're researching your story?

(Movie) News You Need to Know: The Human Torch Was Denied a Bank Loan

"Paramount Cancels Anchorman 2" - Cinematical

Two years ago I pondered the rumors of a sequel to Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (among my Top 10 Movies of the Decade). I'd forgotten about this idea entirely until I heard that writer/director Adam McKay recently tweeted that Paramount "basically passed" on a sequel (unbeknownst to me a deal was apparently imminent).

I think this is probably for the best. Anchorman came along right when pop culture was obsessed with the 70's (Starsky and Hutch, anyone?), when Will Ferrell was a red hot commodity, and when Steve Carell was known only (if he was known at all) as the gibberish-talking Evan Baxter in Bruce Almighty. None of those three elements are true anymore, and besides, I'll be the first to admit that Anchorman is a one-note tune that doesn't need to be diluted by a sequel. 

What else does this all mean?

1. I still find it ridiculous that news is legitimately released via Twitter.

2. Adam McKay can go back to making awful movies that aren't Anchorman.

3. Everybody who hates Anchorman can celebrate. Their wrongness.

(Movie) News You Need to Know: Suburban Stereotypes & Na'vi Nerds

"A Peek Into Netflix Queues" 

An entertaining and interactive New York Times data map has been circulating around the internet like wildfire over the weekend (thanks, Kathie, for the tip). Everybody who cares about movies and the movie industry has had a lot of fun playing with it, including me - now it's your turn. It's simply a color coded map of 12 metro areas showing which films were rented by Netflix subscribers in each zip code. On the micro level you can see the top 10 most popular films in your neighborhood, for example, and on the macro level (where the picture really changes), you can see how different the viewing habits are between, for example, city-dwellers and suburbanites and between the West Coast and the East Coast. Being a proud city-dweller myself, I have to take a minute to poke some fun at the suburbanites, at least in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

- Most popular rental across the board: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. A nationwide trend, no doubt spurned on by a huge number of Oscar nominations last year and the star power of Brad Pitt. Not a bad pick by the suburbanites, actually.

- Body of Lies. Well I'm obviously disappointed this got as much rental action as it did, but if there is one thing suburbanites love it's a story of an American playing a ruthless hero over there in one of those Middle Eastern countries. This was the 36th most popular title in my neighborhood (55408), but the 3rd most popular up near Rogers and St. Cloud - the heart of Michelle Bachmann's district.

(Movie) News You Need to Know: MLK Movie in the Works?

For somebody who sees and writes a lot about new releases, I'm admittedly pretty bad at keeping up on industry news. I rarely read Variety or The Hollywood Reporter or the other industry dailies, and most of the buzz I pick up about movies in production is from other blogs (i.e., Craig Kennedy's indispensable Living in Cinema). The point is, I'm a few days behind on the news that Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Productions just acquired the rights to a biopic about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As you may remember, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of King's assassination last April I wrote a commentary about just such a film, even going so far as to audaciously begin the casting process (tragically, one of my selections, Bernie Mac, has since passed away) and listing possible directors. Now just because Spielberg is the face of DreamWorks doesn't mean he would be the man at the helm for this film, but of course had he been one of the people I listed I would be taking full credit...but nevermind that.

Despite this major development, don't expect to see this movie in theaters anytime soon, at least before 2011 or so. CNN is reporting that DreamWorks is threatening to drop the project unless King's three surviving children settle some family infighting. Apparently Dexter King has been on the outs with Martin Luther King III and Bernice King in recent years, and he settled the deal with DreamWorks without consulting them. The studio doesn't want to get involved in the family feud so they're waiting until everyone plays nice.

Here are the important details from the CNN article:

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" 'I think Mr. Spielberg is a great producer and we look forward to hearing from him about the scope of this agreement,' Bernice King said. 'We know nothing about the scope of this agreement. We have no details to say whether or not this particular one is a good idea.'

DreamWorks issued a statement Wednesday that suggested King family unity was essential for the movie to be made.

'The purpose of making a movie about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is to tell a great story which could bridge distances and bring people together,' the statement said. 'We remain committed to pursuing a film chronicling Martin Luther King's life provided that there is unity in the family so we can make a film about unity in our nation.'
...

'Although my communication with family members has been somewhat stymied by the current litigation, I have continued to reach out and I remain committed to working together with my siblings on projects to educate people about the life, leadership and teachings of our father, Martin Luther King Jr.,' Dexter King said.

DreamWorks is 'a company with unrivaled resources for making epic films of the highest quality, offers an unprecedented opportunity for educating the largest possible audience about our father's legacy as the leader of America's greatest nonviolent movement,' he said.

'Just as Sir Richard Attenborough's film, Gandhi, educated many millions of people all over the world about the Mahatma's teachings, I believe this project can do the same regarding the life, work and teachings of Martin Luther King Jr., and I sincerely hope my brother and sister will join us in supporting this urgently needed project,' Dexter King said.

Tom Houck, an Atlanta public relations agent who has known all three children since the 1960s, when he was their father's driver, suggested the dispute could be resolved.

'I don't think that either Martin or Bernice are opposed to having a megafilm done on the big screen by DreamWorks, but I think it's the mechanism and the way it was done that's got them upset,' Houck said."

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Alright, now a few points:

• I've actually cooled on the idea for this movie a bit over the last year because I'm just nervous that it wouldn't be "good enough", whatever that would even mean. I wouldn't want someone to do it just to do it, I'd want someone to do it because they've found a way to do it well - really well.
• I don't think Spielberg would put himself in the director's chair for this, and I also don't think he should.
• The term "megafilm" worries me.
• 369 people voted in the casting poll I put up as part of that post, and 31% of them chose Terrence Howard (see the full results at the end of the comments section). I still think the runner-up, Chiwetel Ejiofor, is the man for the job, but I would also take a talented unknown any day of the week.
• I don't think a studio with "unrivaled resources" like DreamWorks necessarily needs to take this on. It shouldn't be overproduced and sleek and glossy and packaged based on marketing research. You'll need a decent budget to recreate the period and some of the large crowd scenes, but there's plenty of room for this movie to be humbly produced with attention to character, mood, accuracy, and thought. Something resembling Che more than W., but with as much mass appeal as Milk.
  
• Hey, Spielberg, check out my post while you're in pre-production!
  

(Movie) News You Need to Know: Hmong Realities and Hoop Dreams

"Gran Torino Connects Hmong Minnesotans with Hollywood"

In the Twin Cities Daily Planet a couple of weeks ago, Lisa Peterson-De La Cueva wrote a really interesting piece about how Hmong culture is being portrayed in Clint Eastwood's upcoming movie Gran Torino, which I expect will get at least three Oscar nominations.

The film was written by a Minnesotan and it's meant to be about Minnesotans. Legend has it that local construction worker and fruit truck driver Nick Schenk, who had previously never had a screenplay produced, but had been involved with short-lived programs like Comedy Central's "Let's Bowl" (which was filmed here at some really random bowling alleys - White Bear Bowl, anyone?), wrote Gran Torino with a pen and paper at Grumpy's in Northeast (it's a local dive bar, for those of you who don't know Minneapolis). He's including his friend Dave Johannson as a co-writer, even though according to Schenk, "Dave sells furnaces for the gas company."

These guys couldn't be more amateur if they tried - which is awesome, even though it will inevitably lead to Diablo Cody comparisons, who outrageously won Best Screenplay last year for a little movie she wrote here while sitting at the Starbucks inside a Target in Plymouth or somewhere. Anyway, you can learn more about Schenk's fascinating story in a recent L.A. Times article. He sounds like a cool guy, even though he's seemingly unbothered by the dirty little secret he's about to expose about Minnesota: "When I was working construction, I'd meet a lot of guys like Walt Kowalski."

Finally we can put "Minnesota Nice" to its long overdue rest! Or not...

Like Juno, Gran Torino was originally set in Minnesota but it wasn't filmed here. Entirely for tax reasons, Eastwood moved production of the movie to Michigan and lightly modified the story for the new location. Here's the problem: Gran Torino is about Eastwood vs. Hmong teenagers, and Michigan's Hmong population is a tiny fraction of Minnesota's (more Hmong live here than any state except California).

And so, money that was saved in moving filming to Michigan was immediately spent in flying Hmong actors and actresses in from Minnesota, as well as Dyane Hang Garvey, the on-set Hmong cultural consultant (and main focus of the article). I give Eastwood major credit for his decision to so accurately portray Hmong culture (albeit Hmong culture in Minnesota, not Michigan), which is apparently the result of his always faithful commitment to filming screenplays exactly as they are written.

According to the Daily Planet article, "A few scenes in the movie required a deep understanding and knowledge of Hmong culture to produce." Considering that Hmong population is fairly segregated in St. Paul here, I'm impressed that Schenk knew Hmong culture well enough to write about it - and that Eastwood and Warner Brothers went to such lengths to try and portray it accurately. Needless to say, I can't wait to see this movie.

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"Basketball Players Still Bound by 'Hoop Dreams'"

This is a brief update by Sara Olkon from the Chicago Tribune about the subjects of Hoop Dreams . I feel like I've read recent profiles on William Gates and Arthur Agee because I knew that Gates was now a pastor, but I had no idea there existed a follow-up documentary called Hoop Realities from 2006. Has anybody seen or heard of this? It played at the Virginia Film Festival last year but information about it is less than scarce. Anyway, the article may be interesting if you're wondering what Gates and Agee have been doing for the last 14 years. Here's the bittersweet short version: neither of them ever played in the NBA.

How Do You Say "Getafilm" in Korean?

(photo courtesy of Malte Herwig)

The power of film awakens a culture...

My spirits soared yesterday (not that they were really down anyway) while reading Malte Herwig's article in the New York Times about the success of an annual international film festival in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

In an insular dictatorship widely considered to be one of the most repressive and brutalizing in the world, where basic human rights such as freedom of information, religion, association and political opposition are prohibited, where people are starving to death due to preventable food shortages, where daily life is akin to prison life, and where censorship is instituted in every imaginable aspect of communication - there is film. And it's changing the consciousness of a country.

Foreign film, to be specific. Granted, at this festival the projectionist would cover the lens with a piece of cardboard when "unseemly" content appeared on screen, but the fact remains that the 100+ films still "offered a rare chance for ordinary North Koreans to get a glimpse of the outside world." That should be in bold: a rare chance, because while film is big business in North Korea (movie star faces grace the national currency), all of it is locally made and distributed, and all content must meet the government's strict standards. In fact, there is a history of former dictator Kim Il-sung working the sets of North Korean films and instructing the cast and crew on the proper techniques of their trade. Imagine President Bush and Vice President Cheney telling Scorsese, Tarantino and Apatow how to properly make "American" movies.

Of course none of the festival films were from the United States, or from that different world across the border, South Korea, but they did include offerings from China, Russia, France and Italy. Turns out current Dear Leader Kim Jong-il is a bit of a movie buff himself, with a personal library of 20,000 films and a full-time staff of 250 people to manage it - and bring its most propaganda-like titles (An Azalea Behind Enemy Lines) to theaters around the country. Many of those homegrown films played at the festival as well, but they were screened in between foreign epics like Elizabeth: The Golden Age and China's Assembly, which took home the top prize.

The festival, which took place in September, was so well attended that uniformed guards had to turn away crowds, and theater doors were chained shut as the movies started (although for some reason I imagine that happens outside of the festival as well). Audience members were sternly warned over loudspeakers to collect all of their trash (a punishable offense?), and seats were strictly assigned. Cell phones going off? Not a problem - North Koreans are banned from owning them.

(photo courtesy of Malte Herwig)

So what does the popularity of the Pyongyang International Film Festival mean?

Well, I think the obvious answer is that North Koreans realize film offers a unique opportunity to expand their worldview. In other words, North Koreans are unknowingly living out the raison d'être of Getafilm.

Whether they are seeing documentaries (unlikely), fictional stories about contemporary life, or depictions of historical events in other countries, Korean minds are being positively influenced despite their own government's best efforts against it.

Consider the health warning put forth by culture minister Kang Nung-su at the festival's opening ceremony: movies "must not harm the sound mind of the people". Here's the translation for those of you who don't speak totalitarian: a brainwashed culture won't want what it doesn't know exists. North Koreans are collectively trapped in a one-world view, and their government wants to safely keep them away from seeing people live happy, independent lives on screen.

Fortunately, I live in a country that not only allows for almost all types of free expression from its own citizens, but also opens its doors to arts and culture from around the world. Let me never complain about the limited NY/L.A. releases that don't make their way here. I get to see 90% of the movies I really want to see in the theater, and the rest are freely available at any time. I can only hope such an opportunity becomes available in North Korea at some point in my life.

It's not just about entertainment (that would be a violation of Rule #10 in the Getafilm Guide to Going to the Movies). It's about sitting in a theater, humbly realizing that six billion people are out there having different life experiences than you, and then celebrating the fact that you can learn new things from those people and those stories on the screen. North Koreans don't get that opportunity, but this film festival is a start. Will it change the country? Only time will tell.

About all I know for sure is this: I may not be in North Korea, but I'm always trying to get out.

(Note: Malte Herwig is a German writer, historian and journalist. Find more information on his website: http://malte-herwig.com/indexEngl.html.)

(Movie) News You Need to Know: State of Brotherly Love

"St. Paul's Dowdle brothers adopt Coens' formula for success"

I know I'm like a week late on this article, but hey, I was away. Colin Covert had an interesting profile and interview with Drew and John Erick Dowdle, the family filmmaking team behind the recent smash thriller Quarantine. As Colin notes, it appears there may be a new pair of Minnesotan brothers on the scene in Hollywood, this time from St. Paul and not St. Louis Park.

I didn't actually see Quarantine because I'm allergic to gory horror flicks, but after reading Colin's piece I have to admit I'm pretty intrigued by the idea of it, if only because it sounds like these guys really know what they're doing. I had heard positive buzz about their last feature, The Poughkeepsie Tapes, but never realized it was the same people, and never realized the movie was actually never released.

Anyway, the more interesting thing to me is the Coen similarity, not just in the filmmaking background but in the physical resemblance between John Erick Dowdle and Ethan Coen - check this:

In other Coens news, I sadly never made good on my plan to crash the set of A Serious Man. Although I know a few people who were in it, I was just too busy to make it out there and check out the scene. Ah well, it will still be cool to see local landmarks on screen next year.

(Movie) News You Need to Know: Muppet Mania

"Fuzzy Renaissance"

Last weekend, some friends and I were reminiscing about Jim Henson's Muppets. We determined that a.) "Muppet Babies" was probably one of the best cartoons of our childhoods, b.) we had no idea what was wrong with Beaker, and c.) it was odd that some of the Muppets were clearly identifiable animals (Fozzie, Rowlf, Kermit, Piggy), while others were completely unidentifiable beings (Gonzo, Animal, Oscar the Grouch, Elmo). Anyway, Muppets were on my mind this weekend.

Didn't it come to my great surprise, then, to coincidentally discover last Thursday's New York Times article announcing the return of the Muppets. Brook Barnes takes us on a pretty mind-blowing exploration behind the scenes of the new Muppet franchise about to be launched, which will include, among other things, TV specials with the cast of "High School Musical" and the Jonas Brothers, videos for Disney.com (Jim Henson's family sold the Muppets to Disney in 2004), a Christmas special on NBC in December, several new feature films, and merchandise to be sold at Urban Outfitters, Limited Too, and Macy's. (On that last point, my friend Mitch is that much cooler for having rocked an Animal T-shirt with regularity about eight years ago. Actually, he probably still wears it.) Anyway, read the article to get the full scoop.

Let me clarify my stand on the Muppets here. I already said I loved "Muppet Babies". I also count The Muppet Movie among my favorites from childhood, and I'm enough of a purist to have skipped the last feature film, Muppets in Space, in 1999. I might even be less comfortable about this new Muppet effort as I was with the new Star Wars movies 10 years ago, because at least those were made by their original creator, George Lucas. In the case of the Muppets, however, we have a bunch of Disney marketing executives who are preparing to bring them "into every pop-culture nook and cranny that the company owns or can dream up", the idea being that "the film will make a bigger splash if the marketplace is prepped first."

I guess it really gets to a larger issue that I'm constantly struggling with: why do I have a problem with brands from my childhood being resurrected for the next generation? I'm stubborn, old-fashioned, traditional? I don't know. I think I would just rather kids be forced to like the old Muppet movies and shows than being encouraged to embrace a new and potentially tainted form. Unfortunately, this dad's experience doesn't bode well for me:

[And some parents are starting to notice that the Muppets are suddenly on the radar screens of their young children.

“I tried getting them to watch DVDs of ‘The Muppet Show’ probably a year or two ago, and they weren’t that interested,” said Tom Weber, a New York father of two girls, ages 5 and 9. “But now that Disney is making its marketing push, they seem more aware and into it.”

Ellie Weber, the 5-year-old, confirmed it. “Miss Piggy is really funny,” she said. “I like it when she plays with the froggy.”]

Get it right, Ellie...

Well what about the next movie, due out in 2010? Interestingly, it's officially in the hands of Jason Segal and Nicholas Stoller, writer and director, respectively, of this year's Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Um, is that really necessary considering a guy by the name of Frank Oz is alive and well and looking for work? You know, the Frank Oz who wrote The Dark Crystal and The Muppets Take Manhattan (which he also directed)? The Frank Oz who has provided the voice behind half of the Muppets for over 40 years and has been involved in every Muppet production since 1963?

Ah, yes, and the Frank Oz who, along with most of the Henson family, has publicly derided Disney's acquisition and management of the Muppets for the past decade. It all comes back to politics, then, doesn't it? I'm with you, Frank. Disney better know what they're doing, and they better do it well...

(Movie) News You Need to Know: Coens Continuation

*"In Twin Cities, Coen Brothers Shoot from the Heart"

(Well, life continues to call; this move is taking its time - and my time as well. As I mentioned in my self-congratulatory post last week, I have lots on the way but can't get it out just yet. Thanks for your patience.)

In the meantime, the Twin Cities are soon to be abuzz with Coen fever. You know, the native sons who aren't as "native" anymore as much as Minnesotans like to claim? As I mentioned in that post, A Serious Man is to be filmed here starting, in fact, today, and continuing through November. Colin Covert, who had a few words to say on the Coen Brothers at that time, did me the favor of continuing the article with an update on their current production. Lots of interesting tidbits in there for locals, including some shooting locations. Chances are I'm going to get about as close to the action as you are, but I suppose stranger things have happened.

The article also includes the necessary mention of Fargo, the success of which ironically sent the brothers out of state for good. Fear not, self-conscious Minnesotans: Bob Graf, who produced all of the Coens' recent movies, told Covert, "If there were some people who felt Fargo was caricature, I don't think they'd feel that about this."

See you on set.

(Movie) News You Need to Know: KFP & AT

"The Panda That Roared"

As you know by now, Getafilm is not the place to check in for late-breaking news. The story about Kung Fu Panda's controversial success in China has been kicking around for weeks. Richard Bernstein continued the conversation in Sunday's New York Times, though, so I figured it could still hold some interest.

Here's the deal: The movie has been a smashing winner in Chinese cinemas, causing some of the 1.3 billion Chinese to wonder a.) how did the Americans (Dreamworks Animation, in this case) so accurately portray aspects of our culture, and b.) how come we weren't the ones making this movie?

Bernstein brings up two interesting points. First of all, he claims "a continuing historical imbalance in cultural cross-fertilization. The West’s use of China as an artistic setting is unmatched by any Chinese use of Europe or America as backdrops for its own cultural productions." Secondly, he declares that the Chinese are way behind us in animation technology.

I don't necessarily disagree with those claims, but I think all of it really boils down to this bit: "...a different lesson is being drawn from the film’s success, a lesson that goes to the heart of China’s cultural situation, namely that a movie like Kung Fu Panda could have been produced only in an atmosphere of cultural and artistic freedom that China doesn’t enjoy."

Do you agree/disagree? What are the implications if this is true? By the way, make sure you see Up the Yangtze if you haven't already.

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"The High School Years: Still Raw and Unfair"

Also in yesterday's NYT, a Q & A between Karen Durbin and Nanette Bernstein, director of the upcoming documentary American Teen. Although I previewed it after it played at MSPIFF in April, I was looking for another opportunity to plug this film before it comes to Minneapolis next week.

Burnstein doesn't say much more than she did in the Q & A after the MSPIFF screening, and unfortunately she fails to mention that the documentary is not an MTV show about the awkwardness of kids during their high school years. Don't be distracted by the hilarious moments (and there are many of them) - American Teen packs an emotional punch as it touches on themes involving family, independence, and socioeconomic status.

Make the trip to see it at the Lagoon next Friday, August 1.

(Movie) News You Need to Know: The Darkest Part of the Night

"Many Movie Theaters Decide to Leave the Bat Signal on Till Dawn"

(I'm going to end up sounding a lot crabbier than I intend to here.)

In yesterday's New York Times, Michael Cieply reported on the unprecedented decision to screen next week's The Dark Knight for a 24-hour period beginning next Thursday night at midnight. Unless you've been on Mars for the last year, you know that the Batman sequel of course opens wide on Friday.

Here's my concern: the opening weekend experience is becoming more diluted and less exciting. Cieply reports "midnight shows have become part of the summer blockbuster ritual", which is true in one sense but not in another. My memory tells me that they started in earnest with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I don't know if that's true, but either way, yes, most summer blockbusters get this treatment now.

But so do non-blockbusters outside of the summer months. There's hardly a Thursday night at any local cineplex that isn't screening a new romantic comedy or action fantasy, regardless of the buzz and regardless of whether it's January or June.

So this leads into my next question: if people don't see it at midnight, does that mean they're not going to see it at all? Is that the concern, and is that why they've added 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM screenings of the The Dark Knight?

It's an event. I get that. We live in an age where "Harry Potter" books are released at midnight and video game releases cause riots. There's nothing inherently wrong with advance screenings. I just think it's pretty special to still see sell-outs. Have a midnight screening a few times a year for the big ones, fine. Demand will be massive. Those who don't get tickets immediately will have to see it, horror of horrors, on "opening night" (which is either nonexistent or the best definition, depending on how you look at it).

And let's get the other little ant out of my pants. If I'm anticipating a movie for months on end, do I really want to watch it for the first time at 3:00 AM, when the audience will either be snoring or on the collective verge of cardiac arrest due to sugar and caffeine overdoses?

Like I said, I'm sounding a lot more negative than I mean to. As it happens, I'm seeing The Dark Knight on Thursday at 12:00 AM...

What are your thoughts on this trend?


2008 Asian American International Film Festival

In other news, the 31st Asian American International Film Festival opens today in New York. From the press release:

"With groundbreaking new programming and an eye for innovation, the Asian American International Film Festival ’08 will open on Thursday, July 10 with the East Coast debut of Princess of Nebraska, from acclaimed director Wayne Wang. The Centerpiece Presentation will be on Thursday, July 17 with the U.S. premiere of The Speed of Life by director Ed Radtke. The Festival will close on Saturday, July 19 with Ping Pong Playa from Academy Award-winning director Jessica Yu."

Maybe check it out if you're in New York. These festivals are you usually ignored at the viewer's expense. The AAIFF has previously been the occasion for the U.S. premiers of films from directors such as Mira Nair and Ang Lee. Besides that, I don't think Asian-American filmmakers (maybe aside from Justin Lin) have enough exposure in Hollywood.

More info can be found in festival director Sonjia Hyon's post on PBS' P.O.V. blog.

(Movie) News You Need to Know: Save the Clock Tower

Tragedy struck Hill Valley early Sunday morning when a massive fire swept through the Universal Studies backlot, destroying the famous Courthouse Square seen in Back to the Future and Back to the Future Part II, along with a New York City streetscape, a soundstage, the King Kong exhibit, and a video vault that contained copies of thousands of films and television shows.

According to the L.A. Times at least 300 firefighters were called to the scene, which Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge ironically said looked "like a movie set." Uhh...

This is not the first studio fire in Hollywood, but in this green screen/blue screen/CGI-crazy era, it stings a little to lose "real" movie sets. That was actually one of the coolest things about the Universal Studios tour for me - seeing where so many iconic movie scenes were physically filmed. Passing by the clock tower, which was actually dressed up at the time as something else for whatever was shooting, I felt like I was inside my memory of Back to the Future. It's not often you get to travel back to 1955 like that:

The same L.A. Times story reports that something may have gone haywire with the fire protection system, and there was not enough water pressure in Universal City to adequately fight the flames. No word yet on the cause of the fire, or what films were shooting at the time.

(Movie) News You Need to Know: Tyson Punch to the Babymaker

Mike Tyson Film Takes a Swing at His Old Image

Boxing legend Mike Tyson is the subject of a new documentary, Tyson, highlighted in yesterday's New York Times before the film's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this month. I'm more of a "big fight" fan of boxing than am I of the sport itself, but Tyson probably drew my interest more than any other boxer in the last 20 years. As a fan of documentaries, all seems well. Reading the article, however, I had a sinking feeling that the timing isn't right. Sure, I'm curious as to what life outside of the ring is like for this guy, but I hope it's not mainly focused on his post-boxing problems. The real story should be about a troubled kid's rise to success, not about a troubled boxer's fall from glory. Maybe it will be both, but I expect the latter. The guy's only 41 years old. I say hold off 10-15 years for some perspective, especially if he cleans himself up enough to be around that long.


Is Anchorman 2 Coming?

Sounds like there's some "late-breaking news" about our favorite news anchor Ron Burgundy. Doing a little research, I found that IGN first buzzed about an Anchorman sequel almost two years ago. Then Film School Rejects and Slashfilm picked it up two months ago. Now, Collider.com offers recorded evidence that yes, Adam Mckay & Co. would like to make an Anchorman 2. Well, if I read it on the internet in four places then it must be true, right? Maybe not, but there's no reason to think this wouldn't happen, especially with the DVD success the original has had over the last few years. I think the real question isn't whether it will happen, but whether it should happen. Yes, I think Anchorman is one of the funniest movies of the decade so far - which is precisely why I'm nervous for a subpar sequel. Ferrell still has it in him, but producer Judd Apatow's track record is in a fair decline over the course of the last 10 months. It would probably be best if he didn't lord over the production.

(Movie) News You Need to Know: MSP Blues

As the already fantastic Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival winds down this week, some troubling news is surfacing for local film fans.

I haven't made it obviously known on Getafilm yet, but I'm no fan of St. Paul Pioneer Press film critic Chris Hewitt, who fortunately takes a break from the movies today and writes a terribly-titled article about the current state of filmmaking in Minnesota. The news isn't good. A group of local filmmakers staged a rally yesterday at the state capitol to urge legislators to pass the renewal of the "Snowbate" incentive, the lack of which has apparently forced the production of some recent films elsewhere. Both Juno and Leatherheads take place in Minnesota, but neither was filmed here, and we lost out to Wisconsin and Michigan, respectively, for the upcoming Public Enemies (Michael Mann) and Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood), both of which I expect to be massive hits. One ray of hope remains with native sons Joel and Ethan Coen, who are holding casting auditions for A Serious Man this weekend, with filming set to start later this year.

In more alarming news, MinnPost reports today that the Oak Street Cinema situation is no joke, as they cryptically mention a finalized deal. Back in March I wondered why there was no urgency when the Star Tribune printed the death certificate, and it sounds as though these three Minnesota Film Arts founders were of the same mindset. They make an emotional plea and ask some important questions, but it appears to be too little too late. On the other hand, you wouldn't know that from talking to Al Milgrom. Who has the real details about what's going on? Maybe I'll do some amateur sleuthing before the film festival is up...

"What You Crave!": Idiotic Teens

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on a weekend break-in at the Plaza Maplewood Theatre, one of the few discount theaters left in the area. Is nothing sacred? Likely upset at the $1.50 ticket prices during the economic slowdown, two teens broke in Saturday night and, instead of playing classic films or setting up their XBOX 360 on the big screen, they trashed the place for about $20,000 worth of damage. Plaza Maplewood will be closed for an indefinite period for cleaning and repairs, and hopefully this won't signal the downfall of yet another Twin Cities discount theater.

"A janitor who arrived for work at 8 a.m. Sunday found a door ajar. Inside he found candy, popcorn, broken soda bottles and White Castle wrappers strewn all over. Vandals smashed the glass on arcade games, a concession counter and a refrigerator, defaced the ticket booth with red marker, sprayed blue paint on walls and punctured the screen. A fire extinguisher found lying in a doorway apparently had been used to spray the seats, a police report said."

I'm not a detective or a forensic scientist, but this who-dun-it can clearly be linked to the original culprit: White Castle. If only we could reinstitute Hammurabi's Law and sentence these enemy combatants (terrorism against film) to eat $20,000 worth of sliders - maybe while sitting through a double feature of two of the theater's current offerings: The Eye and Vantage Point.

"Lt. Dave Kvam was unsure of a motive, but that it might be 'some kind of perverse pleasure.'"

The vandalism or the burgers?

(Movie) News You Need to Know: Blood, Brolin, & Bush

• Robert Elswit: How to make 'Blood'

• As the DVD for the instant classic There Will Be Blood is released today, CNN.com profiles one of the men who helped bring the film to life. Not director Paul Thomas Anderson, and not Best Actor Daniel Day-Lewis, but cinematographer Robert Elswit, who won an Oscar for his work on Blood. You don't often hear much about the people behind the camera, and I found it quite interesting that Elswit was one of the camera operators for Shine A Light. The full cast and crew of many films number in the hundreds, and people like Elswit don't always receive due credit for their masterful work in shaping the cinematic experience.

• Bush biographers mixed on script for Oliver Stone's 'W'

• The Hollywood Reporter kicks off the controversy about an upcoming George W. Bush biopic, W, directed by Oliver Stone and due out as early as Election Day this November. Stone wrote the screenplay (with some hilarious lines) and submitted it to four Bush biographers for proofing. The response? "...if Stone wants to portray this as an accurate accounting, he has some serious work to do." Though I mentioned Stone as a possible director for a future MLK, Jr. biopic, I also recognized that he's probably way too political to be involved. The guy thrives on controversy, and my personal opinions of Bush aside, I don't see the point in rushing this if he's going to be gone in a year anyway. Also, Josh Brolin as Bush? Ehh...doesn't fully click for me. Maybe I'm too accustomed to Will Ferrell as Bush. Actually, I think I'd almost rather see an exaggeratedly goofy, lampooning Bush movie than a poorly timed and overly dramatic one that can't be taken too seriously.
  

Movies on Moving: Immigrant Life in Contemporary Film

In today's New York Times, A.O. Scott writes an interesting piece on films about immigration, and specifically about how the challenges of new immigrants are being portrayed in contemporary cinema. Scott observes that, "until recently these themes have never been quite as ubiquitous on movie screens." He cites the current La Misma Luna, Golden Door, and The Edge of Heaven, and also recognizes last year's Babel and Fast Food Nation as taking a more focused angle on contemporary immigrant life, compared with the "warm," vintage tone of epics like The Godfather.

I think it's a fascinating new dimension in film. Truly, globalization is here to stay, and films will have to start showing how life really is, not how it was or how we want it to be. Scott's evidence of recent movies is accurate, but he's left out a few relatively recent ones that I remember connecting with on a similar level: In America (2002), Quinceañera (2005), and The Namesake (2006).

My point is, the trend is not necessarily new in 2008, but it's certainly rising in the cinematic consciousness. Of course, 1983's El Norte was well ahead of its time (and is still searing and relevant), and documentaries on these themes have been made and ignored for years. Oh well, if it needs to be shown in the theater to wake people up, that's good enough for me.