tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26727230313577084112024-02-06T18:47:10.112-08:00Box Office VoodooBox Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.comBlogger430125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-61536016881994360072017-03-11T15:08:00.001-08:002017-03-11T15:08:33.291-08:00Silver and Black: The Making of The Last Boy Scout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Last Boy Scout</span></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tagline: They're two fallen heroes up against the gambling syndicate in pro sports. Everyone had counted them out.</span></em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But they're about to get back in the game.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Released: 13th December 1991 by Warner Bros</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Starring: Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Directed by: Tony Scott</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Production Budget: $29M (Amount in 2017: $52.3M)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Box Office: $59.5M (Amount in 2017: $103.3M)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On paper, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout </em>looks like it was assembled by committee. Behind the scenes were a talented writer, a hugely successful producer and a director with a flair for action and an eye for detail. In front of the camera, one of the most popular stars of the moment. The studio couldn't believe their luck, and were convinced they had one of the biggest hits of the year on their hands - if only all the egos involved could get it made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Despite huge success at a very young age, when he began work on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout </em>writer Shane Black was in a bad place. The pressure of success, the burden of the money he'd made and the nagging doubt that he didn't deserve any of it, weighed heavy on his mind. According to a 1992 L.A Times interview, this culminated in him asking a friend to drive them to Las Vegas so he could bet 'all his profits on red'. A family illness and the end of a long term relationship all but finished him off. He lost the desire to write and became weary of taking on any new project for fear of failing. All this came barely 18 months after he'd hit the big time with the $250,000 sale of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shane Black was born in Pittsburgh in December 1961, and inherited a love of hard-boiled fiction from his father, almost to the point of obsession. The young Black would sometimes forego lunch in order to buy more books, while voraciously reading anything that his father had left around the house. Even at a young age he'd taken to writing comic strips; his first at the age of six, was about a spy called Super Pooper. At UCLA he studied film and theatre, and had a sideline in wild, unpredictable stand-up comedy. He wrote and performed one-act plays but upon graduating he became intimidated by the audition process.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">During his final college year, his roommate Fred Dekker showed him a science fiction script he was working on, and Black was impressed that anyone could make money in this way. A script didn't need the same structure as a novel and he felt this was something he could be good at. After graduating, a group of the roommates lived together at what would become known as the Pad O' Guys. Along with Shane Black and Fred Dekker, were David Silverman, Jim Herzfeld and Ed Solomon. Solomon actually had a writing job on the final season of Laverne and Shirley and was responsible for getting Dekker an agent, which led to his first Hollywood writing job on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Godzilla 3D</em> (a project that stalled in 1983 over its $30M budget).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Black worked a number of jobs after college, including as a data entry clerk for the 1984 Olympics, before plucking up the courage to ask his parents to support him for six months while he wrote his first screenplay. They agreed, figuring if it didn't work out, their son could at least move on and get a proper job. The end result of this experiment was <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Shadow Company</em>, a supernatural thriller that featured a Vietnam veteran taking on six resurrected soldiers hellbent on killing the population of a small town. In what would become a stalwart of Black's work, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Shadow Company</em> was set at Christmas, and according to the Scriptshadow website, was written in a style likened to Walter Hill and Alex Jacobs (writer of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Point Blank</em>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fred Dekker took the script to his agent David Greenblatt (Dekker's name appeared as co-writer on later revisions), who was impressed enough to take Black on and shop the screenplay around. Before he knew it, Black was getting lunch meetings with mid-level studio executives but quickly realised they weren't interested in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Shadow Company</em>, rather they had existing screenplays or new ideas they wanted Black to work on. He stopped taking meetings and set to work on what would become the script that put him on the map - <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Black wrote <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em> in just six weeks. Running for 141 pages, the script was a different, much darker version than the one that would eventually be made, with a completely different ending that featured a truck full of cocaine exploding over the Hollywood sign. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Shadow Company</em>, at least in name, managed to make it into the script as the platoon name of a group of drug smuggling soldiers. At one point he abandoned the script, convinced it was awful, but something drew him back to it. With the first draft completed, David Greenblatt shopped it around again but was met with rejection from most major studios. In the meantime, Black set to work on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Warriors</em>, a script rewrite project for Fox. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Eventually <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em> found its way to Mark Canton of Warner Bros. who was impressed enough to bring on 80s action producer, Joel Silver. The studio offered an incredible $250,000 for the spec script, with a promise of a further $150,000 if it became a feature. There's conjecture as to how old Black was when he sold <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em>. Some say 22, meaning he would have needed to have written the script in 1983. However, a 1990 interview with New York Magazine states that <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Shadow Company</em> wasn't written until 1984 and Lethal Weapon emerged after that. There's further confusion thrown into the mix by a Vanity Fair article claiming the script was the biggest spec sale of 1984, while other credible sources claim Black began the script in 1985 and it finally sold in 1986. Whichever it was, he had gone from nothing to being one of the most well-paid screenplay writers in Hollywood, something that did not go unnoticed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Before beginning work on re-writing <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em>, Black asked Joel Silver if he could have a small part in the movie he was about to shoot with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Once on the Mexico set of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Predator</em>, when not playing the small role of Hawkins, he found himself doing uncredited work on the script, as well as spending plenty of time reading and hanging out with the cast. Around the same time, he sold <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Monster Squad</em>, a script he had co-written with Fred Dekker, who was also set to direct. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Black had dropped out of working on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Warriors</em> for Fox and began re-writing <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em>, now with help and input from Joel Silver. Warner Bros. drafted in Richard Donner to direct, who turned out to be at least the third choice for the job. Both Leonard Nimoy and Ridley Scott were said to be in contention, but the former was prepping <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Three Men and a Baby </em>and the latter had the studio worried after the disappointment of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Blade Runner.</em> Donner bought in Jeffrey Boam to lighten up the script and add more humour. At the suggestion of casting legend Marion Dougherty, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover read for the roles of Riggs and Murtaugh and had a ready chemistry within moments of meeting. Shooting began in August of 1986 for a March 1987 release date.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em> was a critical and commercial hit, making $65M in North America, and a further $55M overseas, against a budget of $15M. Critics were equally impressed and the film received many positive notices, particularly for Gibson and Glover, as well as the script. A common theme amongst reviews was how well the drama worked with the bursts of action, and was a refreshing change to the mindless violence of other big 80s movies. The picture did incredibly well on the home video market too, and the studio quickly moved to put together a sequel. In the meantime, with a success to his name, the script for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Shadow Company</em> began to gain interest. At one point John Carpenter was set to direct the feature as a follow up to <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">They Live</em>, with Walter Hill as executive producer, though ultimately nothing came of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Warner Bros. returned to Shane Black for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon 2</em>, but the pressure of the previous 18 months was beginning to affect him in a serious way. In the L.A Times article, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Portrait of the Artist as a Young Millionaire</em>, Black details how he'd barely had time to stop and think from the moment he'd sold <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em> to its release, but once it was released, the pressure and burden of success and money hit him hard. He started to question if he was actually a good writer, whether <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em> was a good script and what he'd done to deserve all this good fortune. He reluctantly agreed to write the sequel, along with Warren Murphy, creator of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Destroyer</em> series (whose lead character, Remo Williams, had been featured in a 1985 movie). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The first draft, entitled <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Play Dirty</em>, was incredibly dark and brutal - some claimed it reflected the writer's mood at the time. Featuring a female character being tortured to death along with the shocking end of Riggs, this wasn't what Warner Bros. were looking for in their newest franchise. They pushed for more comedy and for Riggs to survive the final battle. After a difficult six months, Black quit, and offered to return his fee. His agent talked him out of it, telling him the script was perfectly fine. In the end he settled for a story credit with Warren Murphy. Jeffrey Boam was once again drafted in to add humour to the picture and rework the ending. He actually ended up writing two different versions, a hard-boiled one and a comedy one. Director Richard Donner had him merge the two together. The script was re-written further times, and changes were even made during filming. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon 2</em> went on to be even more successful than the original. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> A few years later, Shane Black told New York Magazine that had he just given the studio permission to use the characters, he could have walked away with an easy $200,000. Instead, he agonised with Warren Murphy for months and ended up making $125,000. In the time since, he has come to recognise the original <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon 2</em> script as the best thing he has written. Sadly, very few copies of it exist, and none appear to have made it into the public domain. The loss of a job would put fear into most people but Shane Black was relieved more than anything. A family illness and the breakup of his first serious relationship pushed him close to rock bottom, and he began to shun Hollywood. He still threw wild parties at the Pad O' Guys (which had long gained a reputation for such things) and travelled, but produced no new work. Despite being an open and engaging interviewee, Black rarely goes into details of what happened during this period of his life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The idea for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> first came to Black back in the mid-1980s, and he actually had discussions with Joel Silver about it while the two were working on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em>. A fact that resurfaced during promotion of 2016's <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Nice Guys</em> was that the original working title for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> back then was <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Die Hard</em>. Some time later, when Silver was working on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Nothing Lasts Forever</em>, a new action feature which would star Bruce Willis, he asked Black if he could use the title of<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Die Hard</em>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In December 1989, he finally began to write again. The original story for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> saw a seasoned private detective being partnered with a young hot-shot partner. As work progressed, this developed into the tale of a cynical, ex-secret service agent turned private eye, who reluctantly teams up with a disgraced football player. Taking his love of hard boiled detective novels and bringing it into the modern era, Black worked on the script for five months, with a lot of the bitterness and cynicism he felt at the time being channelled into the character of Joe Hallenbeck and the story in general. The final credit for the story goes to both Black and the mysterious Greg Hicks, about whom little is actually known (<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> is his sole credit and he's noted elsewhere as being a co-scenarist). With his confidence still shaky, Black wasn't sure the script was any good, that it was too rough and out there. Even as he went to the copy shop to produce versions to send out, he was still questioning whether any studio would even look at it. He was about to find out how wrong he was. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On a Monday in early April 1990, he submitted the script to David Greenblatt at the InterTalent agency, who met with his partner Bill Block and Black's lawyer the next day to come up with a sales strategy. Despite the screenwriter being out of the game for nigh on two years, his name still attracted attention - helped no doubt by him essentially being two for two with the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em> movies (and while not a success, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Monster Squad</em> was another script he'd had a hand in that produced a movie). While this was happening, InterTalent's team were calling up other agents and studios with the news that the new Shane Black script was ready.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unbeknown to many, when Black had left his <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Last Warriors</em> deal with Fox, they'd insisted on a clause in his departure that gave them 'First bid, last refusal' on his next original script. Honouring this, Greenblatt ensured Fox got a copy of the script on Thursday of that early April week. By the following Monday morning, they'd made an offer of $850,000, but both Greenblatt and Block felt they could get more. The next 24 hours would see an incredible back-and-forth bidding war. With Fox out of the picture for now, the script was free to be sent out to anyone who requested it - and thanks to hype generated by the agents, everyone wanted it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">By Monday lunchtime they'd had several offers above $1M. Wanting to avoid a bidding war and swiftly secure the script, Geffen's Eric Eisner came in with a $1.25M deal at 11pm on Monday night, but this was matched and then surpassed by Carolco and Tri-Star. They offered $1.5M, then $1.6M. Tuesday night, Geffen, now with Warner Bros. alongside them, offered $1.75M but Carolco countered again, claiming they would be willing to go to an astounding $2.5M if necessary. During this time, Black told New York Magazine in a June 1990 interview, he'd stayed at home and occasionally taken a call. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On Tuesday night a decision was made, but prior to acceptance, Fox were given last refusal on the screenplay. They opted not to match the offer and Shane Black accepted the Geffen/Warner deal of $1.75M - the highest figure ever paid for a spec script at that time. The studio already had a deal with Joel Silver, and the young screenwriter weighed up that the devil you know is better than the one you don't. Before the ink had chance to dry, he would come to regret that ideal. The story was widely reported in the press at the time and Black did little to downplay how important the script was to making a hit movie. He would argue sometime later that if a film made $150M, why shouldn't the writer get $2M? After the sale of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em> and now <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em>, both for large sums of money, Black was making himself as many enemies as he was friends. If others didn't think he deserved that amount of money for a script, he was about to spend many months earning it. The spec script record held in place for 67 days, when Carolco purchased Joe Eszterhas' <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Basic Instinct</em>, for $3M. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Only two days after selling <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em>, Black found himself in a room with 14 studio executives telling him how the script they'd just bought for $1.75M, needed changing. To this day, he is still baffled as to why studios pay so much money for scripts they subsequently tear to pieces. Along with a fee for the screenplay, the studio had also agreed to pay Joel Silver $1M to oversee the production, and he had just the star in mind for the role of Joe Hallenbeck.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Joel Silver, along with Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, was <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">the </em>action producer of the 1980s. A loud, no-nonsense kind of guy, Silver's reputation for excess, anger and getting his own way was the stuff of legend. He was born in Orange County and attended Columbia High School (where, oddly, he became responsible for creating the rule set for Ultimate Frisbee), before enrolling at the NYU Film school. Silver left before graduating and set off to make his fortune in Hollywood. He soon landed an assistant's job with producer Larry Gordon. He worked his way up, spending a brief time with Universal before getting into hot water over excessive spending on furniture and his own birthday party.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He worked with Gordon again on the controversial hit, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Warriors</em>, and on the ill-fated <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Xanadu</em>, which saw Silver removed from the production when the budget began to get out of control. He ran into trouble a year later on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper</em>, where it was alleged he requested reports be delayed to hide issues with the budget. After a brief stint with Polygram, he earned his first full, on-screen producer credit on the Eddie Murphy-Nick Nolte hit, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">48 Hrs</em>. Silver was finally away, and he followed the film with a string of hits, including <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Brewster's Millions, Commando, Predator, Die Hard</em> and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em>. All the time his reputation grew, as did his budgets. One such tale saw him banned from the Fox studio lot after he ordered his driver to smash through the gates rather than sit in a queue of cars who were waiting to enter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Still, people were willing to put up with him given how successful his movies had become. The producer put this down to his formula - the need to have a big event happen every ten or so pages to keep the audience entertained. Why wait until the end to blow up a building, reasoned Silver, when you could blow one up now, and blow up even more at the end. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Commando</em> and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Predator </em>had both employed this tactic, to great success, and while <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em> wasn't so heavy on the action, it still had action-beats as regularly as the story allowed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">By the time <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Die Hard</em> was produced, Silver had the formula down to a tee. It would mark the first time he would work with Bruce Willis, though at one point it was said the actor was in discussion for the role of Martin Riggs. Cast against type, Willis played John McClane, a New York city cop who finds himself in the wrong place at the right time, when hi-tech robbers crash his estranged wife's Christmas party. The film was a huge hit, both with critics and the public, and the studio (and Silver) hoped for a follow up as quickly as possible. However, Willis, now with a taste of success and some influence, wanted to make a movie based on an idea he'd had years ago, about the adventures of a singing cat-burglar. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bruce Willis was born in 1955, and got into acting in high school, discovering that being on stage all but cured him of his stutter. He worked a number of blue collar jobs, as well as being a private detective for a short period, before deciding to take up acting full time. He attended acting school but quit before graduating and set off to New York to make his fortune. For a while he worked as a bartender while looking for acting work, and by the early 80s he'd moved west, to California. Willis made his (uncredited) on screen debut in the 1981 movie, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The First Deadly Sin</em>. It would be three years before he received his first proper credit, in an episode of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Miami Vice</em>. However, it would be the role of private eye, David Addison, in the TV show <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Moonlighting </em>that put Willis firmly on the map. Beating out 3,000 other hopefuls, Willis joined Cybil Shepherd for five seasons and became a household name in the process.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Being in a hit show got Willis the attention of Hollywood, who cast him in the romantic comedy <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Blind Date</em>. The film was a minor hit in 1987, and he followed this up with the period mystery, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sunset</em>, opposite James Garner. As <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Moonlighting's </em>popularity began to wane, the actor struck gold with the aforementioned <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Die Hard</em>, which he followed up with the drama <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">In Country</em>, and the successful comedy,<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Look Who's Talking </em>(an idea that felt like an extension of the infamous <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Moonlighting</em> episode, Womb with a View). But <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Die Hard</em> had been a $140M smash, and Fox wanted more - and fast. Willis had other ideas, and met with Joel Silver, wanting him to produce his pet project, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hudson Hawk</em>. The producer agreed, but only if Willis would do <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Die Hard 2</em> first. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Die Hard </em>sequel was another smash hit but Willis was now believing his own hype, and his ego was out of control. This was none more evident than on the set of infamous failure, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Bonfire of the Vanities</em>. In Julie Salamon's warts-and-all book, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Devil's Candy</em>, it's detailed how most of the cast and crew couldn't stand Willis and his ego. Director Brian De Palma had to call the actor off set at least once when he attempted to take over a scene. The film was a flop, and the actor moved on to <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Mortal Thoughts</em>, opposite then-wife, Demi Moore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">True to his word, Silver managed to secure funding for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hudson Hawk</em>. The idea had originated from a song Willis had written with friend Robert Kraft, ten or more years earlier, that he went on to develop into a story. The actor moved straight from <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Bonfire of the Vanities</em> onto filming <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hudson Hawk</em> in the middle of 1990. The story behind the shoot on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hawk </em>could stretch to many pages, but suffice it to say Willis all but took over the production from director Michael Lehmann. He overrode decisions, told Lehmann how he wanted certain scenes shot and made daily changes to the script - which was a mess at best. Word quickly got round Hollywood that <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hudson Hawk</em> was a disaster - over budget and over schedule. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While the shoot was taking place, SIlver approached Willis with the script for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em>, which he felt the actor would be perfect for. The studio were pushing for the actor too because of the success the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Die Hard </em>movies had bought Fox. The only issue was that Willis didn't like the script; as he told Shane Black, he'd spent two whole movies rescuing his wife, he wasn't interested in doing it again. At the behest of Silver and Warner Bros. Black began to rewrite. He would later claim in a Daily Telegraph interview, that no script he had ever worked on was rewritten as much as <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em>. By the time Willis finally agreed to star in the film, in August of 1990, the screenplay was a different beast. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shooting continued on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hudson Hawk</em> and in the meantime, the hunt was on for someone to helm <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Boy Scout</em>. Having proved to have something of an eye for detail and the skill to handle action, Tony Scott found himself with the job. The British director had followed in brother Ridley's footsteps by attending art school. At the age of 16, Tony appeared in Ridley's debut feature, a short film entitled <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Boy and Bicycle</em>. In the years that followed he returned the favour by casting Ridley in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">One of the Missing</em>. Both Scotts graduated art school and Ridley (six years Tony's senior) had set up a commercial production company by the time Tony graduated. The young Scott planned on being a painter originally, but was drawn to film by his brother's work. When he told Ridley he planned on making documentaries, Scott senior told him to come and work for him and make money shooting commercials. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shooting commercials would give him the experience he needed, and while Ridley began his movie career, Tony would spend the time overseeing the company. He became prolific, shooting a great number of commercials over the next 15 years, honing his trade at the same time. Encouraged by the success of others who'd managed the move from commercials to features, Scott continued to look for a film on which he could make his debut. At one point he became interested in adapting <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Interview With the Vampire</em>, and then ended up involved in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Flashdance</em>. He told Empire Online that despite his commercial background, he had no idea what to do with the movie. Elsewhere, MGM were developing <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Hunger</em>, with a view to having Adrian Lyne direct it, but like Scott he had no idea how to shoot the material. The pair swapped projects, and Lyne went on to score a hit with <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Flashdance</em>, thanks in part to the influence of MTV. Scott didn't favour so well - despite sumptuous sets, impressive production values, and a cast that included David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Hunger</em> failed to find an audience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Scott struggled to find employment in Hollywood after that, and soon returned to shooting commercials while dabbling in music videos. It was one such commercial, in which a Saab 900 raced a Saab fighter jet, that caught the eye of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. They figured Tony Scott was just the man they needed to direct <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Top Gun</em>. Reluctant at first, he finally agreed, seeing the film as taking a very dark journey, in line with his favourite war movie, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Apocalypse Now</em>. The producers had a completely different idea that took Scott some time to come to terms with. He eventually realised what they wanted were rock 'n' roll stars, in jets against a blue sky. Shooting on an aircraft carrier, he began experimenting with some slow-motion shots, as well as filming traditional dialogue scenes. When the slow motion stuff was sent (by accident) to the producers, Scott was fired. Discussing the incident with Empire magazine, he explained that bad weather prevented him getting off the carrier, so he continued to shoot footage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Top Gun</em> wasn't well reviewed but became the biggest hit of 1986. Scott worked again with Bruckheimer and Simpson on sequel, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Beverly Hills Cop 2</em>. Despite feeling initially intimidated by Eddie Murphy, who at that point was at the height of his fame, Scott enjoyed working on the movie, and even took to having bets with his star over which shots would end up in the final print - Murphy jokingly dismissing some of Scott's choices as 'arty crap'. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Cop 2</em> was another smash hit, but the director then faltered with his next choice, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Revenge</em>, a little-seen thriller starring Kevin Costner and Madeline Stowe. He teamed up with the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Top Gun</em> gang of Cruise, Simpson & Bruckheimer for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Days of Thunder</em>. Hoping to strike gold again, the film began shooting without a finished script. The producers felt all they needed was Cruise in a fast car and the people would flock. Robert Towne would write the next day's pages the night before, and throw the production's plans into chaos. The film did OK at the box office, but it was no <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Top Gun</em> on wheels. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Around the time he was offered <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em>, Tony Scott was already working on his next feature, a war movie set in Afghanistan. However when funding fell through, he took up Joel Silver's offer. He liked the idea and loved Shane Black's original script, but as mentioned, what it ended up being was something quite different.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With the main elements now in place, and a March shoot date looming, casting could begin. As he had done on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em>, Silver turned to Marion Dougherty to cast the picture. Dougherty was no beginner, and had become the first female casting executive at Paramount in 1975. She would go on to become vice president of talent at Warner Bros. a position she held from 1979 to 2000, and worked with some of the biggest directors of the time. Prior to that, she'd been responsible for giving the likes of Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight their first acting credits. In 1963 she set up her own casting company and, on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Slaughterhouse Five</em>, was one of the first ever casting people to receive an entire title card for her credit. During her time with Warners, she was casting director on the likes of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Firefox</em>, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The World According to Garp</em> (giving Glenn Close her break), <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Lost Boys, The Killing Fields</em> and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Full Metal Jacket,</em> to name just a few. A legend within her trade, even Dougherty was taken aback by an instance of casting on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In her book, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">My Casting Couch Was Too Short</em>, Dougherty details how they had already cast Marg Helgenberger as Hallenbeck's wife, Sarah. She had tested well, been offered the role and accepted. But despite not having casting approval, Bruce Willis insisted on them hiring Chelsea Fields. He attended a meeting with Silver, Scott and Dougherty, and managed to get Helgenberger dismissed and Chelsea Fields awarded the part instead. The casting director stated that in all her years before and since, she had never had such a thing happen - an actor getting someone recast simply because they could. In her words, she found it 'charmless and unnecessary'. She enjoyed working with Scott however, but he insisted that they film every single audition on tiny VHS-C tapes. By the time the picture was cast, they had a pile almost five feet in height - which Scott did nothing with. In this regard, she wrote, he was worse than Stanley Kubrick. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another anecdote was in regarding the casting of Billy Cole, a small but pivotal role featured in the movie's opening scene. Billy Blanks, a martial arts actor who had created the Tae-Bo fitness regime, tried out for the part but Scott felt he didn't have the right look. They went on to audition almost every football player on the West Coast, before Dougherty bought Blanks in to try out again. Scott loved him and cast him in the picture, but couldn't be convinced that he'd turned the actor down previously. Another small but important part went to newcomer Halle Berry, who had initially found fame as a model and Miss World entrant (she was the first ever African-American to represent the USA, at the 1986 competition). Moving to New York, Berry had landed a part in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Living Dolls</em>, a spin-off of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Who's The Boss</em>. When the show was cancelled she relocated to Los Angeles and landed her first feature role, as Vivian in Spike Lee's <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Jungle Fever</em>. In the same year she also appeared in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Strictly Business</em>, and landed the role of Cory, the exotic dancer girlfriend of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout's</em> Jimmy Dix.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dix himself was played by comedian Damon Wayans, who had got his start in the entertainment business as a stand up comedian. He had a small role in the original <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Beverly Hills Cop</em> before joining the cast of S<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">aturday Night Live</em> in 1985. Wayans' tenure on the show lasted a year before he was fired for going off-script, portraying a straight police officer as flamboyantly gay. The incident was put down to stress and the frustration of not having his sketches considered for the show. A number of movie roles followed, including a part in his brother's blaxploitation spoof, the brilliant<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> I'm Gonna Git You Sucka! </em>He also appeared in the Tom Hanks movie, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Punchline</em>. It was the sketch-based comedy show <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">In Living Color</em>, that really brought him attention. Along with brother, Keenan Ivory, Damon created, wrote and performed various characters and sketches, to great success. It also served as a calling card for a young Jim Carrey. Wayans stayed with the show for two season before leaving to pursue a full time film career. It was during the show's second season that he landed the role of Jimmy Dix. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> wouldn't be the first time Wayans and Willis had worked together either - they'd lent their voices to characters in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Look Who's Talking Too</em> just a year earlier. The similar casting feel of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">48 Hrs</em>, with Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte bouncing off each other, felt like no accident.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Further parts went to Noble Willingham, as Sheldon Marcone, the manager of the fictional football team, the LA Stallions, and the aforementioned Chelsea Fields as Sarah Hallenbeck. The slimy Senator Baynard would be portrayed by Chelcie Ross and the role of the doomed Chet was won by Kim Coates (who would get killed again by Willis in the 2005 picture, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hostage</em>). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Child star Danielle Harris took on the part of Darian, the precocious and foul-mouthed daughter of Joe and Sarah. Harris had been acting for some years by the time she won the role, having initially done a three year stint on the soap opera <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">One Life to Live</em>. She was in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers</em> in 1988 and 1989 respectively. Horror would be a genre that Harris would return to numerous times during her career. She also had roles in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Marked For Death, Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">City Slickers</em> - the last two both released in the same year as <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Yet arguably the most inspired (and memorable) casting was that of Taylor Negron as Marcone's henchman, Milo. Negron was a stand up comic and actor, and caught the comedy bug early on in his life. He told the Retrojunkies website in a 2011 interview that he began telling jokes on the bus home from a school trip one day, and loved the power it gave him. He appeared at the legendary Comedy Store while still a teenager, and according to a profile on The Dissolve, was an assistant to acting coach, Lee Strasberg, as well as studying comedy under Lucille Ball. He appeared in a number of comedy roles during the 1980s, making his feature debut in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Young Doctors in Love</em> in 1982. This was followed up with small parts in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Fast Times at Ridgemont High</em>, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">One Crazy Summer</em> and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Better Off Dea</em>d, as well as the role of Rodney Dangerfield's son in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Easy Money</em>. He'd actually appeared with his <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Last Boy Scout </em>co-star, Damon Wayans, in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Punchline </em>as well. But there was little in his resume that suggested he could play such a fantastic villain. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With casting complete and the script now re-written and approved, filming could finally commence. As mentioned previously, the final version of the screenplay differed quite radically from the one Warner Bros. had bought the previous year. As well as Sarah Hallenbeck's role being reduced considerably, Milo's sideline in producing snuff movies was completely removed, as were at least a couple of the script's more explicit moments (Milo killing an entire family, a naked Sarah being threatened with a chainsaw). The main villain of the piece was changed entirely - which in turn changed some of Hallenbeck's motives too (Sarah's role being reduced also meant she would not be the one to kill Milo). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In Black's original version, Hallenbeck's secret service agent beats the Senator's son to a pulp after he kills a mother and daughter while driving drunk. Left with brain damage, it is revealed toward the end of the screenplay that this same character is behind everything. But the villain didn't work - the character is revealed on page 144 and is dead by page 150. Instead, Sheldon Marcone was added, and introduced much earlier in the picture. The biggest change however, was the finale. Instead of taking place in fog bound boats on Long Beach, a more traditional car chase and fist fight was written in. According to assistant director, James Skotchdopole, this wasn't because of any demand, rather it was a practical decision. Shooting on water was costly and subject to much unpredictability - not to mention the 'June Gloom' of Los Angeles weather. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The joke about Dix's $650 leather pants was actually written for<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Lethal Weapon </em>and was a conversation between Roger Murtaugh and his eldest daughter. What's more interesting is <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout's</em> most oft-celebrated scene, the 'Touch me again and I'll kill you' sequence was also part of the original<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Lethal Weapon</em> script but was not used. However, the scene was included in the novelisation of the movie as this was based on an early draft and not the final shooting script. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In March 1991, cast and crew assembled to begin shooting <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em>. The pressure was on before a frame had been shot - Warner Bros. wanted the movie in theatres by December, only six months after filming was set to conclude. It didn't take all concerned long to realise they'd made one hell of a mistake. While the actual filming went seemingly without issue - it came in on time and on budget, there were way too many cooks involved. In a 2016 Daily Telegraph look-back at what went wrong with the film, James Skotchdopole blamed the issues on 'an overabundance of alpha males'. Everyone thought they were in charge, and while director Scott should have been the one calling the shots, it was actually Willis and Silver doing most of the shouting. They overrode decisions, made changes to shots and the script and, according to some, forced Scott to shoot certain scenes with the threat of him losing part of his fee or even being fired if he didn't agree (it's worth noting that in that same Telegraph interview, Skotchdopole shoots down this idea stating no one could have made Scott shoot something he didn't want to).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> While Willis and Wayans didn't share the same chemistry as Gibson and Glover, they did work well together - at least on film. For all intents and purposes, they despised each other, which added more pressure to proceedings. According to Taylor Negron, Silver was all over every facet of the picture too. He recalled in his Retrojunkies interview how he was being fitted for a Dolce and Gabbana outfit when Silver came into the room, looked at the suit Negron was wearing and noted to the tailor that the piping on the buttons didn't match. In that same interview the actor also mentions how O.J Simpson was on set to offer creative input into the football scenes. For his part, Scott did his best with the little space he had in which to manoeuvre. Along with cinematographer Ward Russell, he scored some amazing shots, the sunsets and sunrises, and wisps of smoke off Hallenbeck's near constantly present cigarette. If it wasn't a Tony Scott picture in content, it would be in looks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There were also issues with extras because of an aborted day's filming that nearly resulted in a riot. A two day at the Los Angeles Coliseum had been planned, but the second day was cancelled without any of the extras being informed. When they showed up in their droves only to find they weren't needed and wouldn't be paid for their time, they rushed the barrier around the set. Riot police had to be called to break up and disperse the crowd.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Two thirds of the way through the shoot, the pressure was ratcheted up another notch or two when <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hudson Hawk</em> was released to horrific reviews and terrible box office. Such was the (admittedly short-lived) furore at the time, it looked possible that <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hawk's </em>failure would destroy Willis' entire career. Silver and his star needed <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout </em>to be a hit more than ever and the tampering increased. Speaking to Empire magazine many years later, Scott admitted he was caught between the two, and being further down the totem pole gave him a lot less influence. He went on to say that there may be ten different ways to shoot a scene, and any of them could be right - but you had to have one person calling the shots. 'Movie making is not a democracy' he would state. By the time the shoot was over, even Willis and Silver hated each other</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Curiously, despite all the hype around the script sale, a new Bruce Willis movie, a Joel Silver production, very little actually escaped from the set. There exist few on-set interviews or press pieces. Magazines of the time covered the movie, but often without any real content of what went on during the filming - some were still intent on burying Willis' career with the aid of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hudson Hawk</em>. Indeed, until the 2016 Daily Telegraph interview, barely anyone involved had gone on record to discuss the shoot. But one telling quote did appear in a profile on Joel Silver in the March 1994 issue of New Yorker, where he described working on<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> The Last Boy Scout </em>as 'one of the three worst experiences of his life.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One interesting story did emerge from the shoot courtesy of Tony Scott. In the Empire magazine article, Scott on Scott, the director mentioned a film geek who kept pestering him with questions during the shoot - including how to shoot smoke convincingly. The geek in question turned out to be one Quentin Tarantino, and he wanted Scott to look at two scripts he'd written. Scott's assistant convinced him to read them after being impressed herself. He agreed to once shooting was finished. Generally he was a slow script reader but Scott said he read both manuscripts in one weekend and agreed to direct both of them. Tarantino informed Scott he could take <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">True Romance</em>, but he wanted <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Reservoir Dogs</em> to be his directorial debut.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now the clock was ticking to meet <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout's</em> December release date. There was no chance of pushing it back, it was set to be Warner's big festive release, and Willis had to show that <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hudson Hawk</em> was just a bump in the road. But there was the issue of editing the picture still to contend with, and this would prove to be tougher than the shoot itself in some aspects. On <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Days of Thunder</em> Scott had shot 1.6 million feet of film (with 12,000 feet being used). On <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> it was suspected he'd shot even more. Mark Helfrich, editor on the likes of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Rambo: First Blood Part 2, Predator </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Action Jackson</em> claimed more footage had been shot than any other film he'd worked on. For his part, Joel Silver wasn't concerned - he hadn't finished the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em> shoot with a movie, but had emerged from the editing suite with one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In total, there were three editors credited on the picture, with four further additional editor credits, as well as three assistant editors and two apprentice editors. It's unknown who went first, but Mark Helfrich recalls that he was told the previous editors had been fired when they couldn't make a workable cut. He was amazed to find excised footage had been spliced back into the reels from when the earlier cut had been rejected. Mark Goldblatt, who had worked with Silver on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Commando </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Jumping Jack Flash</em>, and was responsible for editing the first two <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Terminator </em>movies, was called in to fix the mess. He classed it as the most painful experience of his career and all but refuses to speak about it. Even when interviewed about his life's work for Podcastlightly, he was quick to move off discussion of the movie. The little he did say was that time was tight and the studio were scared. They'd spent a lot of money and had already started to preview the picture before Goldblatt was called in to help. Test audiences didn't like what they saw, and found Willis' character completely unlikable. He went on to say that both Scott (whom he liked a great deal) and Silver were both headstrong characters, but 'how many captains can a ship have?'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the end, Stuart Baird was drafted in with orders to get the job done - and fast. Baird had worked with Richard Donner on a number of occasions and specialised in cutting action movies. He'd also cut both <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon</em> films for Joel Silver, as well as<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Die Hard 2</em> the previous year. Perhaps more notably, and the reason he may have been hired, was that he'd managed to salvage <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Tango and Cash</em> in the editing suite when that film looked like being a disaster. Baird came to <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> so late his name wasn't even featured on the film's promotional posters and art work. Somehow, out of all the thousands and thousands of feet of film, edits and re-edits, Baird managed to get a workable cut that the production team and studio were happy with. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Someone else who hated the first cut was composer Michael Kamen, who had been hired to provide the film's instrumental score. A much sought after talent, Kamen had composed and arranged music for a veritable who's who of contemporary musicians, including the likes of Pink Floyd, Queen, David Bowie, Eric Clapton and Tom Petty, to name but a handful. He'd provided scores for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Pink Floyd - The Wall, Highlander </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Brazil,</em> as well as working on both <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon 1 </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">2, </em>both <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Die Hards </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Roadhouse</em>. Indeed, it was only his relationship with Bruce Willis and Joel Silver that convinced him to stay the course and provide the score on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em>. For the opening song, Hank Williams Jr's '<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Are You Ready For Some Football Tonight</em>', was selected, but this was later replaced with Bill Medley's '<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Friday Night's A Great NIght For Football</em>'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Silver and Warner Bros. finally had their finished movie. There was one minor bump with the MPAA who initially gave the picture an NC-17 certificate, but a few cuts to the film's more violent moments secured it an R-rating. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> was set to open on December 13th 1991, less than six months after the final shot had been made. Critics were divided on the film's merits, and Roger Ebert, while seemingly disliking the movie, couldn't deny it was a 'superb example of a glossy, cynical, utterly corrupt and vilely misogynistic action thriller'. He ended up awarding it three stars. Entertainment Weekly awarded it a B+, their reviewer classing the film as a guilty pleasure. It currently sits with a 44% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">December 1991 was relatively quiet save for one or two big releases, as is generally the case leading up to Christmas. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Addams Family</em> had held the top spot since its release over Thanksgiving, but was usurped by <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country</em>. The only existing direct competition for the adult market was <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Cape Fear</em>, which was now in its sixth week and was all but done. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> would go up against the long awaited Steven Spielberg picture, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hook</em>, but as the two had their own audience demographic, they were unlikely to infringe on the other's business. Initial signs weren't great, and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout </em>opened to barely $900K more than <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hudson Hawk</em> ($7M). <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hook </em>took the number one spot with $13M, which itself was seen as a disappointment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A week later saw the release of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Father of the Bride</em> and Oliver Stone's <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">JFK</em>, which placed second and fifth respectively. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">JFK </em>might have debuted higher but its three hour plus run time restricted how many screenings could be held each day. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> held well, dropping 29% against its opening weekend's takings. A week on, taking in the Christmas holiday, the picture saw a huge increase in business (as is normal for most movies at that time of the year) and actually had the best weekend of its theatrical run with $8.4M. By the end of that third weekend it had recouped its estimated $29M production budget, and while not out of the woods quite yet, the film was out of flop territory at least. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With no new releases in the first weekend of 1992, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> had another decent frame and crossed the $40M mark, but slipped when up against <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Hand That Rocked the Cradle</em>, and to a lesser degree, the Christian Slater comedy, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Kuffs</em>. Weekend six and the picture dropped out of the top ten, in part due to it losing 300+ screens. It had at least crossed the $50M mark by this point. There was one more weekend's takings recorded, before the film lost screens in much larger numbers. All up <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> had doubled its production budget, and while no failure, it hadn't given Warner Bros. the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Die-Hard</em> like numbers it had been hoping for given the talent and spend involved in its production. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While global numbers aren't available, the film did have a very successful run on the home video rental market. In North America it debuted in fifth place in early May 1992 and quickly moved up the chart to become the number one rental in the country only two weeks later. It held the top spot for a few weeks and remained in the charts for a number of months longer. Taylor Negron was also nominated for an MTV Movie award for Best Death. Despite all the issues, behind the scenes problems and egos, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> had managed to be a success.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bruce Willis moved onto other projects, but nothing quite worked and he never again worked with Joel Silver - though this appears to be more about comments the producer made about <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hudson Hawk </em>than <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout.</em> Willis appeared in seven movies over the next two years but didn't have a hit bigger than <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> until 1994's<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Pulp Fiction</em>, which marked the first renaissance for him. In the interim he'd appeared in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Death Becomes Her, North, Striking Distance</em> and the laughably bad erotic thriller, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Color of Night. Pulp Fiction</em> earned him some great notices, as did a role in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Nobody's Fool</em> opposite Paul Newman. He also scored a smash hit with <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Die Hard With a Vengeance</em>, in which his character seemed a lot more Joe Hallenbeck than John McClane, as well as another great turn in Terry Gilliam's <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">12 Monkeys</em>. 1997 gave him a hit in the guise of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Fifth Element, </em>but <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Siege </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Jackal</em> both failed to find much of an audience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A year on he teamed up with Michael Bay on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Armageddon </em>and scored the biggest hit of his career (and the most successful film of 1998). <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Sixth Sense</em> in 1999 was another incredible smash (second biggest of the year) but marked the turning point in the actor's career. He re-teamed with M. Night Shyamalan on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Unbreakable </em>but couldn't replicate their earlier success, though the film remains a firm favourite of many. He would appear in a string of forgettable movies including <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hart's War, Surrogates, 16 Blocks </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Tears of the Sun</em>, before returning to the franchise that had made him a star in the first place. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Live Free or Die Hard</em> did OK numbers in North America but soared on the international market to the tune of $233M. There were other minor hits and good reviews for Willis' work, in the likes of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sin City, Red, Moonrise Kingdom </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Looper</em>, but the stories that emerged from Kevin Smith on the movie <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Cop Out</em> proved the old egotistical Willis was still alive and well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One more trip as John McClane in 2013's <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">A Good Day to Die Hard</em> failed to entice audiences in North America, though again, it was a smash hit overseas. A sequel to <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Red </em>couldn't recapture much of the appeal of the first movie, and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sin City: A Dame to Kill For</em> sank quickly without a trace. Of late, Willis has been content to show up in the modern equivalent of the straight to video feature. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Prince, Extraction </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Marauders</em> all made their debut 'on demand' - if they did see the inside of a cinema, it was only to fulfil a contractual requirement. At the time of writing, the actor has just finished work on a remake of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Death Wish</em> and is still toying with appearing in<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Die Hard: Year One</em> in some capacity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Damon Wayans moved on to writing and starring in the romantic comedy <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Mo' Money</em>, which was a modest hit in 1992, but <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Blankman</em>, a super hero spoof he co-wrote, flopped. He appeared in a few more movies throughout the decade (<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Major Payne, Bulletproof, The Great White Hype</em>) before making the jump back to TV with the sitcom <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">My Wife and Kids</em>, which he co-created. The show would run for five seasons, ending in 2005. Wayans would be largely absent from TV and film over the next five years, before returning with another sitcom, 2011's <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Happy Endings</em>. In an interesting twist, he's now starring as Roger Murtaugh in the TV version of Shane Black's <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Danielle Harris appeared in <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Free Willy </em>in 1993 and the Sylvester Stallone disaster flick, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Daylight</em>, before lending her voice to the character of Debbie Thornberry in the Nickelodeon show, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Wild Thornberrys </em>(a role she reprised for the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Thornberry </em>movie and again for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Rugrats Go Wild</em>). Having appeared in two Halloween pictures early in her career, Harris was dismayed to find out her character was being recast for the sixth picture, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Curse of Michael Myers</em>, as the producers wanted someone who was over 18 years old (Harris was 17 at the time). Rather than lose the part, she paid to be emancipated from her parents, allowing her to dictate her own working hours and the like. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ultimately she declined to appear in the picture after discovering her character would be killed off early on in the proceedings. She was further disappointed to discover the salary wouldn't even cover the cost of her emancipation. The actress did go on to become something of a scream queen, appearing in a large number of horror movies, including the likes of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Urban Legends, Stakeland</em> and parts two and three of the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hatchet </em>Series. Harris even returned to the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Halloween </em>franchise, albeit in a different role, when Rob Zombie remade the original in 2007. She returned for the sequel in 2009. In 2013 she made her directorial debut on horror-comedy, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Among Friends</em>. She continues to work in the horror genre to this day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Chelsea Field had a busy couple of years after <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em>, appearing in the likes of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hardware, Extreme Justice </em>and the<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Flipper</em> remake, as well as various TV shows and TV movies. In the decade that followed she moved away from acting, focusing her time on raising her children with partner Scott Bakula. Noble Willingham had already had an extensive career and he continued to work in all manner of TV shows and movies. He took on a recurring part in the Chuck Norris show, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Walker, Texas Ranger</em>, from 1993 to 1999. He died in 2004 as a result of a heart attack.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Taylor Negron was even busier after completing work on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em>, earning over a hundred credits with one-off appearances in the likes of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Seinfeld, Friends</em> and the Damon Wayans' sitcom, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">My Wife and Kids</em>. He also found time to write and perform in the critically acclaimed stage show, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Unbearable Lightness of Being Taylor Negron</em>, as well as a number of other theatrical pieces. He was also an accomplished painter, with his work shown in exhibition a number of times. Tragically, in 2008 he was diagnosed with liver cancer, and succumbed to the disease in 2015, aged only 57. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tony Scott moved on to direct <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">True Romance</em> from the script by Quentin Tarantino. The film performed poorly but has gained a huge following and much reverence in the time since. The fictional Hollywood producer who appears in the film, Lee Donowitz, wasn't written to be Joel Silver, but according to Tarantino, Scott turned him into Silver. Saul Rubinek (who played Donowitz) had no idea who Silver was, he told Maxim magazine, but Scott loved what he did with the character. In the same interview the director said it was pure Hollywood satire, but added that Silver didn't speak to him for some time after that. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">True Romance</em> was followed up by<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Crimson Tide</em>, a thriller set aboard a nuclear submarine that starred Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington. It was the first of five collaborations with Washington, which included <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Man on Fire, Deja Vu, The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Unstoppable</em>. He worked again with Gene Hackman on the Will Smith thriller, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Enemy of the State</em>. Like Willis, Scott would never collaborate with Joel Silver again despite working primarily in the action genre. He would say some years later that Black's original script for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> was much better than the film they'd ended up with. Sadly, the director took his own life in August 2012. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Joel Silver himself moved straight onto <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon 3 </em>after <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout </em>was completed, and while the sequel was a success, he suffered a string of disappointments and outright flops over the next six years. Indeed, despite working on nine pictures, including the likes of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Demolition Man, Assassins </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Executive Decision</em>, Silver wouldn't have another $100M North American hit until 1998's <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lethal Weapon 4.</em> However, success was just around the corner thanks to <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Matrix</em>, a huge critical, financial and influential hit in the summer of 1999. The sequels in 2003 weren't nearly as well received but still proved to be incredible money makers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The rest of the decade was a mix of mid-budget horror, (produced with director Robert Zemeckis through their Dark Castle Entertainment company) action features with Jet Li, as well as the likes of<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> The Book of Eli, V for Vendetta </em>and <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Speed Racer</em>. He would see success again with the Robert Downey Jr <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sherlock Holmes</em> movies and the Liam Neeson thriller <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Non-Stop</em>, but it's safe to say there were more minor hits and disappointments than blockbusters. In 2012, Joel Silver ended his 25 year production deal with Warner Bros. opting to take a lump sum figure of $30M over keeping the rights (and residuals) to some of his biggest movies. Speculators at the time said Silver had borrowed so much money in advances he had little option other than to take the deal offered to him. In 2015 he announced a new deal with billionaire Daryl Katz that would allow him to produce movies without the need for studio backing. One of the first projects of the new partnership was <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Nice Guys</em>, the third directorial effort of Shane Black. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For some, Shane Black was already the poster boy for everything that was wrong with Hollywood. If he'd learnt one thing on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> it was that he wanted to direct his own work rather than watch others take it apart (or pay him to take it apart). He did re-write work on the Arnold Schwarzenegger failure, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Action Hero</em>, for which he earned another $1M. He then made headlines again in 1994 when he sold his script <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Long Kiss Goodnight</em> for a record breaking $4M. But Hollywood had had enough and the writer found himself being criticised on all sides for his earnings and playboy ways, culminating in a scathing article, written by Variety's Peter Bart, entitled 'Script fee vomits upward for mayhem-meister'. The resultant film, which starred Geena Davis and Samuel L Jackson was a flop upon release. Black said his work was heavily re-written by a group of script doctors during 1995 and the massive failure of the Renny Harlin/Geena Davis picture, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Cutthroat Island</em>, sank <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Long Kiss Goodnight</em> before it got chance to find its feet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Black took his money and fell off the face of the planet for a few years. The parties, drink and drugs continued, as did lawsuits and ex-girlfriend problems. He tried to join the Academy but was turned down for not having enough on screen credits. Black told the Hollywood Reporter in 2016 that this felt like a personal snub - ''We don't want that high-priced hack around us' was how he viewed it. He stopped writing for the longest time, before deciding a change of genre was what he needed. For years he struggled with a romantic comedy but couldn't make it work. He sought the advice of his friend and mentor James L. Brooks but still nothing came of it until Black decided to add a murder and a couple of detectives. He felt the script for <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Kiss Kiss Bang Bang </em>was so good, he wanted to direct it himself. But no one seemed interested - and he struggled to find anyone to even read it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But Joel Silver did, and managed to raise $15M - a long way from the big budgets he was used to, but enough to make the film without too much interference. Black struck gold on the casting too, though at that point Robert Downey Jr was about as risky a choice to take on a lead role as one could find. Fresh out of prison and desperate to get clean, Downey was dating Silver's assistant Susan Levin, and would hang around the office to be with her. Black and Silver got him to run through some lines from the script, and thought he was perfect. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Kiss Kiss Bang Bang</em> wasn't a hit, but gained many strong reviews and has found a ready audience over the years. It didn't put Downey back on the map like he'd hoped, but it did bring him to the attention of Jon Favreau, who thought he'd be perfect for the role of Tony Stark in Marvel's <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Iron Man</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Black took the failure of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Kiss Kiss </em>badly, and hit the drink and drugs perhaps harder than he ever had before. Another lawsuit and talk of him threatening an ex-girlfriend while on cocaine did him no favours either. In 2008 he hit rock bottom and decided to do something about his problems. He quit drinking and drugs, and began to write again. Along with friend Anthony Bagarozzi, he started playing with the idea of a couple of private detectives in Los Angeles. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Nice Guys</em> was initially set in modern times, then it morphed into a TV show for CBS, before being retooled into a 1970s era comedy thriller. But after the partying and the failure of<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Kiss Kiss Bang Bang</em>, funding wasn't forthcoming - especially with Black set on directing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This all changed in 2010 when Robert Downey Jr called, wanting Black to work on<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"> Iron Man 3</em>. Speaking in the same Hollywood Reporter article, the actor said that Shane Black had been his lifeline on the first <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Iron Man</em> picture, and he would often call him up to discuss dialogue and scenes. Downey now wanted to return the favour and take a chance on the writer/director for the third <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Iron Man</em> feature. The picture ended up having a lot of Black's trademark snappy dialogue, and went on to make $1.2 billion at the global box office. It gave him enough clout to get <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Nice Guys</em> made in 2016, and while the picture wasn't a smash hit, it made a lot of 'best of 2016' lists (star Ryan Gosling claimed he'd been a big fan of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Monster Squad</em> back in the day, and that was why he agreed to work on <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Nice Guys</em>). At the time of writing, Shane Black is preparing to direct a new <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Predator </em>movie, one which he has co-written with his long time friend, Fred Dekker. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout</em> certainly has its fans, including director Edgar Wright who described it as 'an action thriller framed by flaming air quotes'. He cites the film and Scott's directing as an influence on his own movie, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hot Fuzz</em>. Such a fan, at one point Wright even tried to organise a screening and Q&A session with Scott, who agreed, but only if they showed <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">True Romance</em> instead. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Viewed today, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout's</em> cynical streak seems to work better than ever, and Black's dialogue still crackles. Even with their disagreements, Willis and Wayans make a solid duo and their back and forth holds them in good stead against the likes of Murphy and Nolte. There's little evidence of the troubled shoot or the cross stitch editing, save for a couple of scenes which seem to switch from day to dusk. Taylor Negron, despite not properly showing up until an hour into the movie, easily becomes the highlight in his handful of scenes and both Noble Willingham and Danielle Harris offer great support. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While the nature of the characters makes it hard to root for any of them, this doesn't detract from how good the movie is, thanks in huge part to Shane Black's fantastic ear for dialogue. The violence comes in short, sharp bursts and the plot moves quickly enough to keep the audience's interest. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Last Boy Scout </em>may have been a nightmare of an experience for those involved, but it remains a great comedy-action-thriller, with some of the sharpest writing Hollywood has ever seen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sources - Italics denote a site or article of particular help</span></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Wikipedia Pages - Various </span></em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">IMDB</span></em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.retrojunk.com/article/show/3212/a-talk-with-taylor-negron" rel="external nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #170e46;" target="_blank">A</a> Talk With Taylor Negron - Retrojunkies</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Antagony & Ecstasy - Tony Scott: The Last Boy Scout</span></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Who Killed The Last Boy Scout - Daily Telegraph May 2016</span></em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Empire Australasia June 2016 Issue</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Last Boy Scout Production Notes - TCM.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Smile You F**k, The Accidental Genius of The Last Boy Scout -Goodmenprojects.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Radiator Heaven: The Last Boy Scout</span></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Portrait of the Artist as a Young Millionaire - The L.A Times</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shane Black Talks Iron Man 3 and More - Collider</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I Like Violence - CreativeScreenwriting.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shane Black Solves his Third Act Problem - Grantland.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My Casting Couch Was Too Short - Marion Dougherty - Google Books</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">FILM: Why the Hudson Hawk budget soared so high - NY Times</span></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">New York Magazine - June 1990 Issue</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lethal Weapon Wunderkind is Back (and still looking for action) - The Hollywood Reporter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Man with The Golden Gun - Joel Silver Interview : The Independant</span></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tony Scott on Tony Scott: Empire Magazine</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Life Between Frames: The Films of Tony Scott Part 3 - lifebetweentheframes.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ryan Gosling talks The Nice Guys - Movieweb.com </span></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">An Interview with Taylor Negron...You know, that guy - heebmagazine.com</span></em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #272a34; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shane Black - The Hollywood Interview -thehollywoodinterview.com</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lethal Weapon Gives Writer Shane Black a Shot at Fame - People Magazine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Interview with Fred Dekker - Simplycinema</span></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Scriptshadow Titan Week: Shadow Company - Scriptshadow.com</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">25 Facts about Lethal Weapon - Mental Floss</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Will The Spec Script Rise Again in Hollywood? - Vanity Fair</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Podcastlightly - Interview with Mark Goldblatt</span></div>
Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-44520169545254079972017-02-18T17:13:00.000-08:002017-02-18T17:13:05.748-08:00New Writing ProjectHi Everyone,<div>
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With 80 From the 80s now complete, I've embarked on a brand new writing project. Currently only the first chapter is complete, and I'm hard at work (really?) on the next. It's movie based again, but currently has no central theme other than that, to tie it all together. </div>
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I'll be posting chapters and extracts here in the near future. I don't have a finish date in mind, but I'd like to have the book done by the first quarter of 2018. </div>
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I hope you'll join me on this journey</div>
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Lane Myer - February 2017.</div>
Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-13526449854678108782015-03-18T13:15:00.003-07:002015-03-18T13:15:38.251-07:0080 From the 80s has moved<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you've been enjoying the 80 From the 80s column on Box Office Voodoo, it's now moved to its own custom domain <a href="http://www.80fromthe80s.com/">80 From the 80s</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All future columns will appear there going forward. There's also an archive on the site for the older columns you may have missed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first new essay, covering the entire production history of 48 Hrs, is already online.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you for your continued support.</span>Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-33597930129068901502015-03-03T01:26:00.001-08:002015-03-03T17:16:58.246-08:0080 From the 80s - Dragnet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ITFxGXGxcixmU3Hp82K0VuPgKKwvuCHJHJdyDd2kW6z7tCFmMmbufs4sCy6-6uw1d6-AB7SBL9opYx7QmqJeLlVNh92ZJGyNRVncWv-qYR5EFVrujrRlOWW5OUSEGBzeW9-Vg3g5TiQ/s1600/Dragnet_movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ITFxGXGxcixmU3Hp82K0VuPgKKwvuCHJHJdyDd2kW6z7tCFmMmbufs4sCy6-6uw1d6-AB7SBL9opYx7QmqJeLlVNh92ZJGyNRVncWv-qYR5EFVrujrRlOWW5OUSEGBzeW9-Vg3g5TiQ/s1600/Dragnet_movie.jpg" height="320" width="205" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Dragnet</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">‘Just the facts’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Studio: Universal :::::::::: Release Date: 26th June 1987</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Director: Tom Mankiewicz :::::::::: Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Budget: $20M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $42.5M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">U.S Box Office: $57.3M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $121.7M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><i>Summer. 1987. Joe Friday is an old school, by-the-book cop and something is rotten in the City of Angels. Working with new laid back partner, Pep Streebeck, he has to investigate a series of bizarre crimes orchestrated by P.A.G.A.N - People Against Goodness And Normalcy. It doesn't take Joe long to realise that if wants to deal out justice, he's going to have to take a leaf out Streebeck's book, even if it means putting his precious job on the line.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">The idea of taking a TV show and creating a spin-off movie isn't a new one. TV companies soon caught on that they had a built-in audience who would pay money to see their favourite characters on the big screen. In the 1970s and 80s, audiences were treated to all manner of shows that had their plots stretched to movie length - with middling results. Dragnet, released in 1987 was a different sort of beast. Based on the hugely successful TV show, it attempted to pay homage to its source, while also parodying it, taking the straight-laced police officer Joe Friday and throwing him into 1980s Los Angeles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">While it may be somewhat forgotten today, the original Dragnet was groundbreaking and incredibly influential. The show was created by Jack Webb, an actor who had begun his career in comedy with limited success. By the late 1940s, he'd switched to drama, appearing in the private detective show, Pat Novak for Hire. But it was a role in the film He Walked by Night that would play the biggest influence on Dragnet. The picture was based around the exploits of Erwin Walker, an ex-soldier who embarked on a violent crime spree in the mid-1940s, culminating in the murder of a highway patrolman. In the film, shot semi-documentary style, Webb played a crime lab technician. The background to the story gave him the idea for a police procedural series based on real life cases. With technical assistance from police chief William H. Parker and Sergeant Marty Wynn, Dragnet debuted on radio in 1949.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">The show took a little time to find its feet, and the lead character of Joe Friday (portrayed by Webb) went through some changes in those first episodes. What instantly set Dragnet apart was its realism and attention to detail. It never glamorised the job, rather showing how mundane the day to day of it could be - though it was not without its action or heroics. Webb made sure the show was accurate and covered all aspects of police work, from the initial investigation and forensics, through to arrest and interview procedures. The radio programme also introduced the famous Dragnet 'Four note' theme, entitled 'Danger Ahead'. Curiously, the piece wasn't actually written for the show, but rather lifted from the 1946 film, The Killers. Each episode would open with a short announcement, informing the audience that the story they were about to hear was true, and that only the names had been changed to protect the innocent. Webb's Joe Friday would then detail his circumstances via a tightly clipped, almost rhythmic narration. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Dragnet went on to become an incredible success, running for over 8 years and spanning 314 episodes in total. At the same time, it transferred to TV screens, beginning in 1951. Again, Webb was front and centre as Joe Friday, investigating crime in and around Los Angeles. The small screen version was even more popular than the radio show, and spawned the first theatrical Dragnet movie in 1954. The episode, The Big Little Jesus also holds the title of being the first colour TV programme shown on Network television in North America. The TV series ran for 276 episodes, coming to an end in 1959 - a decision made by Webb, though it must be noted that the show's popularity was starting to wane in its final years. The actor-director then took over detective show 77 Sunset Strip, but the changes he orchestrated (including removing all but one central cast member) alienated even the most hardened fans. After five quite successful seasons, it was cancelled mid-way through its Webb-controlled sixth. Another failure followed in the guise of Temple Houston, described by critics at the time as "Perry Mason goes west".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">With a move away from Warner Bros in 1967, Webb decided to bring back Dragnet. With his partner from the original version now locked into another TV show, he hired Harry Morgan, who had played a number of parts in the Dragnet radio show, as well as making an appearance in its TV counterpart. In an effort to drum up interest, Webb shot a TV-movie, on the strength of which NBC commissioned a full series (the movie would not be screened until 1969). To differentiate itself from the original show, the Dragnet revival had its debut year added to the title (Dragnet 1967, Dragnet 1968 etc.). When the series ended four years later, Webb went on to create Adam-12, another police procedural show that focused on patrol men and women. This too proved successful and spawned the spin off, Emergency! which followed the lives of the first paramedics working for the LA County Fire department. It ran for six seasons, with Webb producing through his Mark VII company (as had happened with his previous shows).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">By 1982, Webb was once again looking to bring Dragnet back. He had five scripts written, and because Harry Morgan was now contracted to AfterMASH, Webb had tapped Adam-12 star Kent McCord to be his new partner. But years of smoking and drinking, not to mention the stress of writing, directing and producing, all finally caught up and Jack Webb died on December 23, 1982 from a heart attack. In tribute, the LAPD retired Joe Friday's badge, number 714, and provided an honour guard at Webb’s funeral. The revival was scrapped, and with shows like Hill St. Blues proving popular, there was little reason for anyone else to champion it. Yet while there was no new show, old episodes of Dragnet (both the original and the 1960s series) were still in heavy rotation on network television. It was while flicking through TV channels one night that producer David Permut caught an episode. He passed it by and switched over to see Dan Aykroyd spitting out dialogue at a lightning pace on Saturday Night Live. He switched back to Dragnet, and again, back to Aykroyd and the pieces fell into place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">David Permut had made his name with the Richard Pryor: Live in Concert movie in 1979, the first ever theatrically released stand-up movie. When the idea of a Dragnet film featuring Dan Aykroyd came to him, he wasted no time. The very next day he spoke to the actor's agent, Bernie Brillstein, explaining that he wanted Aykroyd for what he envisioned as a Dragnet spoof. Brillstein committed the actor in principle immediately. Permut then called in to see Frank Price at Universal Pictures, who currently held the rights to the show. The producer recalled during an interview for The Ultimate Writer's Guide to Hollywood, that he had no screenplay or even an outline at the time of meeting with Price, and simply entered his office and hummed the famous four-bar Dragnet theme. Price knew it instantly. Permut explained that Dan Aykroyd was already on board, and it didn't take much to convince Price of the project’s potential - especially when he considered that he (Aykroyd) had had five major hits in the space of a few years. Even though he had no script, by hiring Dan Aykroyd, Permut also gained a successful screenplay writer - not to mention a huge Dragnet fan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">A Canadian native, Dan Aykroyd had made a name for himself as a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live, as a member of the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players" troupe. The youngest of the cast, he'd actually worked with producer Lorne Michaels back in Canada, on the short lived comedy show, The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour. The actor soon gained a reputation for his impressions, along with the many characters he created. Indeed, such was his talent and intensity that Eric Idle stated that Aykroyd was the only cast member he could see as a 'Python'. Even at this early stage in his career, he had a knack for reeling off paragraphs of information in a fast, clipped tone - something that was no accident. From an early age, he'd been obsessed with Dragnet and Jack Webb, copying his speech patterns and mannerisms, and bringing them into his own impressions and characters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">It was while working on SNL that Aykroyd first met John Belushi. The location for their meeting, a blues club in which Aykroyd was playing, set the spark that helped create The Blues Brothers. What began as a novelty segment on Saturday Night Live soon gained a life of its own, and the duo performed shows as Jake and Elwood Blues, as well as releasing an album. All of this culminated in the hit movie, The Blues Brothers, in 1980. This actually marked the second time the duo had appeared together on the silver screen, the first being the Steven Spielberg disappointment, 1941. They would star together once more, in the 1981 comedy hit, Neighbours, before Belushi died from a drug overdose in March the following year. Aykroyd continued to write and perform, with a notable turn in the 1983 hit comedy, Trading Places, opposite SNL alumni, Eddie Murphy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Ghostbusters in 1984 cemented Dan Aykroyd's reputation, and along with Elwood Blues, the character of Ray Stantz is what he is best known for to this day. After the global success of Ghostbusters, Aykroyd appeared in two smaller films. He re-teamed with Bill Murray on Nothing Lasts Forever, a still-as-yet unreleased science fiction curio which also featured Gremlins star Zach Galligan. This was followed by the John Landis comedy-thriller Into the Night. He would work with Landis again on Spies like Us in 1985, before settling down to script Dragnet with fellow SNL writer, Alan Zweibel. Despite their experience, the writing duo struggled to get a script that both they and the studio were happy with. Universal's Frank Price, knowing the clock was ticking, turned to Tom Mankiewicz in an attempt to knock the script into a workable shape.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">By the time he was brought onto the project as its third writer, Tom Mankiewicz was already a legendary script doctor, having worked officially (and unofficially) on some of Hollywood's biggest pictures. The writer was born into movies - his father was Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the formidable screenwriter, producer and director. Tom made his first official Hollywood debut as third director on the John Wayne picture, The Comancheros. He received his first on-screen credit (that of Production Associate) for The Best Man, a film on which he worked numerous behind the scenes roles. Following in his father's footsteps, the young Mankiewicz turned to script writing, producing ‘Please’, the tale of a suicidal girl in the last ninety minutes of her life. Despite much interest, no studio would buy the script, but it did go some way to acting as a calling card and helped secure him work on Nancy Sinatra's Movin' with Nancy. This in turn led to him writing the book for the musical version of Georgy Girl. Unbeknownst to Mankiewicz, one of the performances was attended by David Picker, who along with Cubby Broccoli, was looking for someone to re-write Diamonds are Forever in attempt to lure back Sean Connery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Signing on for two weeks, Mankiewicz ended up staying on Diamonds are Forever for six months, sharing a screenplay credit. He went on to script Live and Let Die and co-wrote The Man with the Golden Gun, as well as performing an uncredited re-write on The Spy Who Loved Me and contributing to Moonraker. During this period, he also turned in the screenplay for Mother, Jugs and Speed, which led to director Peter Yates hiring him to re-write The Deep. Mankiewicz was now gaining a reputation as the go-to/fix it guy for problem scripts. Richard Donner brought him aboard Superman I & II in attempt to streamline the 400 page screenplay. He'd stay with the project for more than a year, controversially receiving a creative consultant credit, which was objected to by the Screen Writers Guild. [Mankiewicz won out in the end, though did agree to have his name appear after the original screenplay writers on Superman II]. He turned his hand to TV next and was offered a deal by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg - if he would re-write their TV movie, Double Twist, they'd let him direct it. Mankiewicz agreed and created the extended pilot for what became Hart to Hart. The feature spawned a long-running TV series, along with eight further TV movies - the last of which Mankiewicz directed (along with several episodes).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Noticing his talent, Warner Bros locked him into an exclusive deal fixing movies for them. He worked on Gremlins, The Goonies and Wargames, as well as turning in the first draft on Batman. He re-teamed with Richard Donner on Ladyhawke, receiving both a screenwriting and creative consultant credit. Leaving Warner Bros, Mankiewicz found himself contacted by Frank Price, who requested he work with Aykroyd and Zweibel on Dragnet's script. The studio weren't keen on the first draft, and to a degree, Mankiewicz agreed. He met with Aykroyd and they discussed what worked and what didn’t. A bizarre subplot involving the theft of people's kidneys (which Aykroyd claims he threw in to mess with Universal) was amongst the first things to go. All up, Dragnet went through three drafts - the original, one that Mankiewicz and Aykroyd wrote and the final one, on which Mankiewicz worked with Zweibel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"> At that point, Ted Kotcheff of First Blood fame was on board to direct, but he and the writers clashed. The things Kotcheff wanted fixing were exactly what the three writers felt worked - and vice-versa. Frustrated, Mankiewicz was about to leave the project when Price offered him the chance to direct it instead. He agreed and Dragnet entered pre-production with a price tag of $20M attached.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">The key to the film was the chemistry between Joe Friday and his partner. Given that the script contained what was essentially a fish-out-of-water scenario (Friday and his 1950’s ideals in the Los Angeles of the 1980s), his partner had to represent everything he wasn't. Aykroyd, having envisioned John Belushi for the role of Pep Streebeck, pushed for his brother, James to be cast. To Mankiewicz’s relief, James Belushi wasn't available; neither was second choice, Albert Brooks. Instead they met with a young actor who'd just begun to make a name for himself. Tom Hanks had seen some success with the short lived sitcom Bosom Buddies. When the show was cancelled after its second season, a guest appearance on Happy Days brought him into contact with Ron Howard, who at the time was prepping the mermaid rom-com, Splash. Howard saw him for the part of the wisecracking brother (eventually played by John Candy) but Hanks proved he could play the lead. The film was a sleeper hit in 1984, and Hanks' career was further boosted by the success of bawdy comedy, Bachelor Party. While misfiring with Volunteers (again opposite John Candy), Hanks scored big with The Money Pit, and to a lesser degree with Nothing in Common, opposite Jackie Gleason. Mankiewicz loved that Hanks was unpretentious - he wanted the role in Dragnet because he thought it was a funny script and he'd 'love the company he'd be keeping'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">The role of the Reverend Whirley went to Christopher Plummer, while the Hugh Hefner-like Jerry Caesar was to be played by Dabney Coleman, someone who Tom Hanks had worked with on The Man with One Red Shoe, a few years earlier. Coleman met with Mankiewicz at his house, and came up with the idea that his character should be from the south and have a lisp. During the course of their meeting, Coleman revealed he'd devised a complete backstory for Ceasar - with which the director was happy to go along. Casting the 'virgin' Connie Swail proved a little tougher. At one point, Dan Aykroyd suggested his wife, Donna, but the director vetoed the choice. It was after a viewing of American Flyers that he discovered Alexandra Paul. At the time she'd appeared in a few films but had never heard of Dan Aykroyd (or Dragnet). And that was something that played to her advantage when she auditioned - her lack of 'knowledge' gave her performance a sense of innocence, exactly what the casting team where looking for in the character.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Two familiar faces rounded out the cast. Jack O'Halloran, who had worked with Mankiewicz on Superman and its sequel (playing the mute character of Non) came on board as the larger than life villain, Emil Muzz. And in a throwback to the original show, Harry Morgan signed on to reprise the role of Bill Gannon (now a captain). To further the link with the original, Dan Aykroyd would play Joe Friday, the nephew and namesake of the legendary detective. There'd be further cues and asides to the old show in the movie, such as the brand of cigarettes Friday smokes – Chesterfields, who were sponsors of the original radio show. Two further ex-Dragnet actors appeared in cameo roles - Peter Leeds would play Roy Grest while Kathleen Freeman gave a memorable turn as Enid Borden. In one final throwback to the second generation of the show, the movie's working title was Dragnet 1987. This title stuck well into the film's production, and was only altered in the final months (when promotional work began) to avoid confusing uninformed members of the public.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Shooting took place in and around Los Angeles at the tail end of 1986 and into 1987. Dragnet was set for release in the summer, and while it was Mankiewicz's first major feature, he'd had enough experience on other sets to handle filming with little issue. But one thing he did notice almost immediately was the differing acting styles of the two leads. With Dan Aykroyd, he'd get the shot on the first or second take - because after that the actor would lose his intensity. Tom Hanks on the other hand, needed three to four takes before he was up to speed. Noticing this early on in the shoot paid dividends, and allowed the first takes to concentrate on Aykroyd, before switching focus to Hanks. Both actors were equally aware of their styles and thanked Mankiewicz for coming up with the solution. In terms of characters, Aykroyd was Jack Webb/Joe Friday. He spent much time working on Webb's clipped style and rat-a-tat delivery. He'd walk around the set listening to tapes of Webb's voice and perfected it to such a tee that Harry Morgan swore blind that if he closed his eyes and listened, Jack Webb was who he heard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">With filming finished, Mankiewicz began to assemble his first edit. He didn't cut much out to begin with and asked Frank Price if he could screen the movie without feedback to get a feel for the flow. He already knew it ran much too long and not everything worked. However, unbeknownst to the assembled crew, Sid Sheinberg's son had snuck into the screening and reported back that it was a disaster - it was too long and wasn't funny. When he was confronted by Lew Wasserman (the head of Universal) over the state of the movie, Mankiewicz decided to reassemble the cast for re-shoots before continuing with his edit. The director would later state in his autobiography that those extra scenes where what pulled the film together and made it work. Ever cautious of their own portrayal, the LAPD sent off-duty officers to every screening to get their own feedback - they wanted to ensure they were being laughed with, not laughed at. Fortunately for all concerned, their opinions were positive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Critics weren't as impressed, and the film scored only average reviews. While most found it funny, they took exception to how it differed from its source. More than a few also expressed their dislike of the re-imagined Dragnet theme, supplied by The Art of Noise. The picture was set to open at the end of June 1987. It would be up against direct competition in the guise of Mel Brooks' Spaceballs, as well as the second frame of The Witches of Eastwick. Beverly Hills Cop 2 was also a very real threat despite being over a month old. The news didn't any get better in the following weeks either, with Innerspace, Adventures in Babysitting, Revenge of the Nerds 2 and Summer School, all set to debut before the end of July.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Dragnet came out shooting, and bested Spaceballs by almost $4M in that first weekend, taking the top spot with $10.5M. The popularity of Dan Aykroyd, plus the built-in audience awareness (and the reshoots) appeared to have paid off for Mankiewicz and Universal. A week later, it was still at number one, dropping around 33% of business from that opening weekend. A decent showing in the week meant that after only ten days, Dragnet had recouped it production costs. It slipped down two places in weekend three, up against Revenge of the Nerds 2 and the expansion of Stanley Kurbrick's Full Metal Jacket, but still managed to add another $6M to its total. After a month on general release, the film had doubled its costs and was still out to over 1,200 locations. Nerds 2 had come and gone, and Dragnet was still clearing an average of $2M each weekend. It survived in the top ten for a total of six weeks and ended up making $57M in North America, with a further $6M overseas. In terms of the year 1987, it was the fourteenth biggest film, out grossing the likes of Outrageous Fortune, Spaceballs and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Like most movies of the time, it performed well on the home video market too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">With such a solid return on its budget, talk of a sequel soon began to circulate. However, while Dragnet was finishing its run, Tom Hanks had gone on to shoot Big, which propelled him to global stardom. After that, according to Mankiewicz, it was difficult to get him to play second fiddle to Dan Aykroyd. A number of other ideas were put forward, including having John Candy replace Hanks. A new team was brought in to write the script - the original writers having projects of their own to work on. While they were a few years from success, the Farrelly Brothers turned in a draft that had its moments, but never really gelled as a whole. In terms of feature films, that was the end of Dragnet. The show did return to TV screens in 1989 as The New Dragnet. At around the same time, another Jack Webb originated project, Adam-12 also got a new lease of life. The New Dragnet ran for 52 episodes (and crossed over with the New Adam-12). The show was resurrected once more in 2003, with Ed O'Neill as Joe Friday. It stuck to the original blueprint for the first season, before turning into more of an ensemble drama (Friday ended up being promoted, reducing his screen time). It was cancelled five episodes into its ten episode second season, with the final five shows appearing on a different network.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">After Dragnet, Tom Hanks went on to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and indeed the world. Big was a critical and financial success in 1988, which led to The Burbs and Turner & Hooch. There were a couple of misfires (Punchline, Bonfire of the Vanities) before he emerged with an incredible string of successes, beginning with A League of Their Own in 1992. By 1995 he'd won two Academy Awards (For Forrest Gump and Philadelphia) and re-teamed with Meg Ryan on Sleepless in Seattle. By the end of the 90s, he'd had nine movies earn over $100M each. The 00s saw him diversify further, and he remains one of the most successful and popular actors of the modern age.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Dan Aykroyd followed Dragnet with The Great Outdoors (opposite John Candy) and Ghostbusters 2, which while a financial success, was not as well liked as the original. He received an Academy award nomination for his turn in Driving Miss Daisy, but then watched his career almost completely derail with the directorial effort, Nothing but Trouble. In the 90s, some Saturday Night Live cast members got movies made based on their characters. Dan Aykroyd gave Coneheads a shot, but the film failed to repeat the success of similar SNL spin-offs such as Wayne's World. From that point forward, the actor seemed happy to take on supporting roles, and gave a fantastic performance in the 1997 picture, Grosse Point Blank. A year later he brought back another SNL creation - The Blue Brothers. However, Blues Brothers 2000 was a failure, making only $14M from a budget of $28M. Aykroyd continues to take on film roles, and is also part of a company selling vodka in skull shaped bottles. His hopes of a third Ghostbusters film - something long in gestation - were dashed earlier this year when an all-female reboot was announced.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Alexandra Paul went on to become a global star thanks to her work on the hit TV show, Baywatch. After the show ended, she team up with Pierce Brosnan for the action dramas, Death Train and Nightwatch, before moving on to a number of TV movie roles. She has also co-written and co-produced the documentaries Jampacked and The Cost of Cool: Finding Happiness in a Materialistic World. Christopher Plummer and Dabney Coleman continued their careers through the 90s and beyond. Coleman joined Tom Hanks in the 1998 picture, You've Got Mail, while Plummer appeared in the recent English language remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He's currently filming Remember, for director Atom Egoyan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Tom Mankiewicz looked to be heading for the big time after Dragnet, and was set to work on Sleeping with the Enemy, before a change of guard at the studio left him out in the cold. Taking a meeting with his former agent and discussing his dissatisfaction at how things had turned out with Enemy, he managed to annoy his current agency, Mike Ovitz's uber-powerful CAA. No one would take his calls after that and he quickly found himself unemployable - a situation not helped when rumours were circulated that he was a heavy drinker and therefore unreliable. Only Richard Donner stood up for him, and helped put together the John Candy movie, Delirious. While Mankiewicz states this was the happiest filming experience he'd had, financial troubles at MGM saw it barely receive a release. He would make no further theatrical features, and only directed three more times - an episode of Tales From the Crypt, TV Movie Taking the Heat, and the final Hart to Hart film, Till Death do us Hart. He all but retired from Hollywood after that, but did once again join Richard Donner to assemble Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut in 2006. Tom Mankiewicz died in 2010 from pancreatic cancer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">There’s no denying that the partnership of Aykroyd and Hanks works well in Dragnet and means that even today, the picture can be enjoyed despite some of the references falling flat. It moves at a brisk pace and has some solid laughs, including a brilliant final pay off. Dragnet may not be as fondly remembered as Beverly Hills Cop or The Naked Gun, but that doesn’t make it any less worthy of your time. </span></div>
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #282828; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just a side note to say this article wouldn't have been anywhere near as detailed without the help of Tom Mankiewicz autobiography - My Life as a Mankiewicz. I'd like to also give credit to The Ultimate Writers Guide to Hollywood, which detailed how David Permut came with the idea of making a new Dragnet movie.</span></em></div>
Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-5424781304443544022015-02-17T03:05:00.000-08:002015-02-18T11:38:50.281-08:0080 From the 80s - Young Sherlock Holmes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Young Sherlock Holmes</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Before a lifetime of adventure, they lived the adventure of a lifetime</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Studio: Paramount Pictures :::::::::: Release Date: December 6th 1985</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Director: Barry Levinson :::::::::: Starring: Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Budget: $18M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $40.1M</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">U.S Box Office: $19.7M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $43.9M</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Meeting for the first time at college, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson soon find themselves investigating a series of mysterious deaths. Discovering a link between the victims, the would-be detective uncovers an even greater danger, and will need to rely on all his powers of observation and deduction if he and Watson are to survive the Pyramid of Fear.</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Easily one of the most popular literary characters of all time, Sherlock Holmes has appeared in countless movies, TV shows and almost every other form of media since his first appearance in 1887. If anything, in recent years, his popularity has reached even greater heights with new films, TV shows and a novel courtesy of Anthony Horowitz. Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the stories focused on consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and partner John Watson, and the many cases they would be called upon to investigate. Yet through all the tales, very little is given to the circumstances of their first encounter - or their lives before that time. Doyle himself had the pair meet when Watson was looking for a room to rent, and a mutual friend put him onto Sherlock Holmes. In 1985, Chris Columbus, Barry Levinson and Steven Spielberg offered their own turn of events, starting many years before A Study in Scarlet, with Holmes and Watson meeting at college.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">By the time Young Sherlock Holmes came to him, Chris Columbus already had one major success under his belt and another on the horizon. Gremlins had been a smash hit in the summer of 1984, and he'd soon repeat that with The Goonies. Both movies had been executively produced by Steven Spielberg through his company, Amblin. He tasked Columbus with writing what was essentially a Sherlock Holmes origin story - an idea that both excited and terrified the young screenwriter. With little to no back story for the famous detective (or his partner) in Conan Doyle's tales, Columbus sunk himself into the entire back catalogue in an attempt to discover what made Holmes tick. He would take many leads from the stories (along with the novels of Dickens), and devised the origins behind some of the methods Holmes would use later in life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He was particularity interested in the great detective's cold and emotionless state when dealing with his clients and their cases, and envisioned a singular incident that would set him on that path. At the same time, Columbus was cautious not to offend fans of the original material, along with the Conan Doyle estate, whose support for the project they wanted to keep [The finished film would carry a closing epilogue stating that the story was affectionate speculation of what might have happened, and had been made with ‘respectful admiration and in tribute to the author and his endearing works’]. As with many Amblin productions, Spielberg made contributions to the script, specifically the nightmarish hallucination sequences. With work progressing nicely, a search for a director began. Ruling himself out of the role due to his commitment to The Color Purple, Spielberg's pick to helm the mystery thriller was an unusual one.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Like many directors of the time, Barry Levinson got his first break in TV, writing scripts for the likes of Marty Feldman, Tim Conway and Carol Burnett, before graduating to movies. Teaming up with Mel Brooks, he worked on the scripts for both Silent Movie and High Anxiety, and was Oscar nominated (along with his wife) for the Al Pacino movie, And Justice for All. In 1982 he made his feature debut with Diner, a critically acclaimed comedy drama about a group of friends who reunite for the wedding of one of the group. The picture made $14M off a $5M budget and helped launch the careers of Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke and Kevin Bacon. Levinson was once again nominated for an Academy award for the screenplay. His next movie, the Robert Redford drama, The Natural, would be his first job as director for hire, the script having been written by Roger Towne and Phil Dusenberry. While not as well received as his previous work, The Natural made $48M in North America and is still seen by some as the best baseball movie ever produced.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Yet little in his previous work suggested he could make a mystery thriller with action elements - let alone one that would also involve a number of special effects sequences. Spielberg saw something in the 42 year old director, revealing in a New York Times article prior to the film's release that he felt he (Levinson) was a frustrated action adventure director. For his part, Levinson jumped at the opportunity to direct Young Sherlock Holmes, feeling it would offer him a wealth of new experiences which he could take on to future projects. The two directors spent much time talking about the movie, agreeing that it should move at a break-neck pace, not giving the viewer a chance to look for plot holes. The key was in the casting; they needed to find actors with a ready chemistry - if Young Sherlock Holmes was a success, there was no reason why it couldn't become a franchise, especially given how much material there was to mine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Of the two leads, it was John Watson who was cast first. Alan Cox, son of veteran actor Brian, had been performing since he was six years old. His first onscreen role was as Jason in the TV movie, A Divorce. He then appeared in the Eric Syke's curio, If You Go Down to the Woods Today, a film about a scoutmaster who takes his troupe into the woods even though he's aware that killings have recently taken place there. Cox continued to appear in numerous TV shows before taking on a role in the Laurence Olivier film, A Voyage around My Father. The picture, based on the early life of John Mortimer (creator of Rumpole of the Bailey) won much acclaim. Aged only 14, Alan Cox won the role of Watson, but finding Sherlock would prove to be much harder. By the time the casting crew came to Eton, they'd already been searching for three months with little luck. It was Nicholas Rowe's drama master who urged him to try out for the role, having spotted the crew scouring the college for a 'proper young gentleman" as he put it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The young actor was in his final winter term, and already had a university place in Bristol secured when he tried out for the role of Sherlock Holmes. Impressed with his initial audition, Rowe was called back a further four times, and then given a full costume screen test opposite Alan Cox. There were two other actors up for the part, including a certain Hugh Grant. Unbeknownst to Rowe, it was Alan Cox who may have been partly responsible for him being cast. After the screen test, the new Watson expressed that he liked the 'tall guy with the big nose best'. The casting director couldn't deny the duo had a ready chemistry that had been somewhat absent with others they had seen (including Grant, one assumes). A video of the screen test was sent to Steven Spielberg, who along with Henry Winkler (TV's The Fonz, taking his first full producer credit) agreed. Things moved very quickly after that, with Rowe receiving the news that he had won the role during the Christmas of 1984, and that shooting would commence January 1985.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">While the search for Holmes and Watson had been going on, Sophie Ward won the role of Elizabeth. Like Alan Cox, Ward started her acting career at a relatively young age, appearing in The Other Window, The Copter Kids and Full Circle before her 13th birthday. Forgoing drama school, she trained under veteran ballerina Merle Park before being deemed too tall to continue. She appeared in numerous theatrical productions before winning the part of Elizabeth Hardy in Young Sherlock Holmes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In the role of Professor Rathe, a teacher who takes a shine to Holmes, was noted stage and screen actor Anthony Higgins. Favouring theatre, Higgins won acclaim for his work in Romeo and Juliet, and went on to tour with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, winning the Time Out Actor of the year award in 1979. Young Sherlock Holmes wouldn't be his first time working with Steven Spielberg, having had a small part as Major Gobler in Raiders of the Lost Ark.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The remainder of the cast was rounded out by Freddie Jones, Susan Fleetwood and Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Lestrade. Michael Hordern would supply the voice of the older Watson, narrating the tale.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">With an $18M budget supplied by Paramount Pictures, filming on Young Sherlock Holmes commenced in January 1985 to meet a December 1985 release window. The picture would shoot for around four months, across a number of British locations including Penshurst Place, Belvoir Castle and Eton College. For set based sequences, Elstree Studios were utilised. There were no major issues during filming except for Alan Cox having a growth spurt, resulting in some of the later shots of him being taken from more of a distance. Spielberg also had to pay for grass to be replaced at Radley College in Oxford when fake snow destroyed it during filming. The real headaches, however, appeared with the film’s extensive (and ground breaking) visual and special effects work, of which Young Sherlock Holmes would employ many different types. Central to the film's plot is a number of terrifying hallucinatory sequences, along with Holmes taking to flight in a bizarre bike-glider device. In charge of making much of this appear on screen were Dennis Muren and his team at Industrial Light and Magic. By 1985, Muren was already an industry legend, having pioneered so many techniques that continue to be used today, but even he was wary of what lay ahead on Young Sherlock.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">For the flying contraption set piece, the crew had no real option other than to build a life sized replica and suspend it from wires above Belvoir Castle. Despite the cost and practicality of building the machine, shooting it was relatively painless and required minimal work in post production. The same couldn't be said for the harpie attack on the character of Waxflatter, which utilised a technique called go-motion in which a computer controlled both the movement of the harpies and the camera itself. This method gave the creature's wings a natural motion blur. But the task of refining the movements and masking the camera rig took a group of animators many months to achieve. While Spielberg was largely absent during filming, another set piece would be one of the few instances in which the producer disagreed with his director - the hallucination that sees Watson attacked by a larder of food.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Spielberg loved the idea, and was impressed with Dave Carson's concept sketches. To shoot the sequence Muren and Co. opted to go with rod puppets as opposed to animation. He reasoned that using puppets they could shoot a number of different takes with ease, were as with animation, they only really had one shot to get it right. Levinson felt the scene was a little silly, and got worse the longer it went on where as Spielberg's view was the opposite, and he urged Muren to go even further. In the end, Levinson won out and the scene and its excesses were cut back. Had it gone ahead, it would have felt at odds with Holmes' hallucination, an emotionally charged incident involving his parents. There were issues with some of the matte painting work too, with Chris Evans vocalising his unhappiness during an interview with Cinefex. He stated that the job was made much harder due to being called in after plates had already been shot. Had he been on set sooner he could have easily solved many of the issues he subsequently had to overcome. Evans' would also create the first ever digital matte shot on Young Sherlock Holmes, which was used during the hugely ambitious stained-glass knight sequence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">If one scene stands out in the movie, it is that of the stained-glass knight. Another hallucination set piece, it would be the first time that a completely computer generated character was used in a movie [Some argue that technically Tron holds this title with the polyhedron character of Bit]. Dennis Muren wasn't sold on the idea of creating the knight digitally because he felt computer generated imagery hadn't advanced enough to be convincing. However, he was willing to give Lucasfilm's computer graphics division a chance at creating something potentially ground breaking. To be on the safe side, he also factored in time at the end of the post production period in case the sequence needed to be created using more conventional methods. Adding to the complexity of the job ahead was the fact that the character was essentially 2D, but needed to look 3D - and menacing. The team was in unknown territory; if they needed a tool to do a job, they had to create it themselves. Work progressed slowly, yet the team continued to make breakthroughs in both the scene and the software they were using. A new rendering tool meant they got to see a test run in around five minutes as opposed to two hours.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">John Lassetter, a name that would become synonymous with computer generated imagery in the near future, spent many hours using a 3D space digitiser, scanning in co-ordinates of a clay model of the knight they'd created. Muren continued to support the venture, while pushing the staff hard to raise the level of believability in the character. The team even ended up using tape measures and blueprints on the actual set to ensure everything was where it should be, in terms of where the knight would be walking in 'their' version of the scene. Though the methods seem antiquated by today's standards, much of what they achieved sowed the seeds for almost everything that would follow in terms of computer generated imagery. It would take a full six months of work to finish the scene, which lasts less than 2 minutes in the film, with the knight himself appearing for only 30 or so seconds of that time. Yet it would go on to become one of the key promotional aspects of the film, often appearing as a supplementary clip to footage of Holmes and Watson. The work behind many of the film’s effects (both digital and practical) were also covered by an extensive article in Cinefex magazine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Young Sherlock Holmes was due for release in December 1985. The main trailer used to announce and promote the film pushed the action angle for all it was worth, selling it as an Indiana Jones style romp rather than a murder mystery. Indeed, to reinforce the idea further, the picture received the full title of Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear in the U.K and Australia. Initial signs that the film wouldn't perform well began to creep in with the reviews. While they were generally between average and positive, more than one pointed out that the film became undone when it veered too far into Indiana Jones territory. Rowe and Cox did receive good notices, both for their performance and on-screen chemistry. Furthermore, it appears Columbus’ handling of the material was deemed respectful of its origins while existing as its own thing. As with Krull and The Last Starfighter, one of the issues in promoting Young Sherlock Holmes was the lack of star power on which to hang the picture. While the principal actors worked tirelessly, giving TV and magazine interviews, they were by and large unknown to the general public, meaning the film itself had even more work to do if it was to become a success.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Winter isn't generally as busy as the summer in terms of film releases, but there were still a number of major showings that Sherlock would need to face off against. Rocky IV had opened the week before to huge business, and was giving no sign of being ready to give up the top spot. Perhaps a bigger concern was the release of Spies like Us on the same December 6-8th weekend. One of its stars, Chevy Chase, was having the best year of his entire career, seeing not one but two hits in the summer (Fletch and National Lampoon's European Vacation). A week later would bring The Jewel of the Nile, the much anticipated sequel to the 1984 hit, Romancing the Stone. There were older releases to contend with too, including King Solomon's Mines and a still going strong Back to the Future (entering its 23rd weekend on general release) that could all be a thorn in Holmes' side. However, with the Christmas break coming up, most pictures would receive something of a boost - every day of the holiday week generally playing like a Friday or Saturday.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In the end, none of it really mattered. Young Sherlock Holmes opened in fifth place, making a poor $2.5M. As expected both Rocky IV and Spies like Us won the weekend, with $11.1M and $8.6M respectively. Holmes was further beaten by Santa Claus the Movie and White Nights, which had expanded out of limited release. Weekend two wasn't much better either, with the film suffering a 37% drop on its already low opening frame. A huge expansion in its third weekend, readying for a Christmas boost, did nothing to help and it slipped quietly out of the top ten. While it managed to re-enter the chart on the following weekend (scoring the best total of its release), it was short lived. A month on from its release it had barely clawed back more than half of its budget. By mid-January, it was gone altogether, having made a disappointing $16.9M. When all was said and done, Young Sherlock Holmes had earnt $19.7M.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Nicholas Rowe would spend almost a year promoting the film around the world, but its lackluster performance in the U.S was repeated elsewhere. It would go on to gain traction on the home video market, and has become a regular feature on network TV in the intervening years, but was never the money spinning franchise starter Spielberg and Columbus had hoped for. In a baffling turn, two years after the film’s debut, a video game adaptation was released exclusively for the MSX. Young Sherlock: The Legacy of Doyle was an official license (the back cover even featured photos of Nicholas Rowe and Alan Cox) yet followed a completely different story.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">At least the efforts of Muren and Co. were rewarded with an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects in 1986, though the film ultimately lost out to Cocoon, whose effects were also produced by ILM. The work pioneered by the computer graphics division on Young Sherlock would serve countless others over the years, influencing such pictures as Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Jurassic Park. Dennis Muren remains the most decorated person in Oscar history, having won nine Academy awards to date.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In what seems like an inexplicable move to the modern audience, Lucasfilm decided to offload the computer graphics division the following year, selling it to Steve Jobs. John Lasseter and others went with it, and formed Pixar, which would become the most successful computer animation company in the world. It was purchased by Disney in 2006 for $7.4 billion dollars. As part of the deal Lasseter became chief creative officer for Disney's animation division, while still retaining control at Pixar. Completing the circle so to speak, Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, with ownership of Industrial Light and Magic coming as part of that deal.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Sadly, for the three main leads, Young Sherlock Holmes would be the biggest movie of their careers. After struggling to get a foothold in Hollywood (including failed auditions for The Secret of My Success and The Name of the Rose), Nicholas Rowe returned to England and went to Bristol University, as he had originally planned. While he did some TV work in the following years, he would not appear in a feature until 1996's True Blue. More TV roles would come, along with a cameo in the Guy Ritchie film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He has continued to mix stage, TV and film work. In an interesting curio, he will once again play Sherlock Holmes in the new Bill Condon movie, Mr. Holmes. The picture, about the retired detective (now played by Ian McKellen) looking back over his life, will feature a TV show based on some of his adventures. It is in these adventures that Rowe will once again reprise the role that made him famous almost twenty years ago.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">After Sherlock, Alan Cox was absent from screens until an appearance in the UK hospital drama, Casualty in 1990. He'd go on to other TV work but similar to Nicholas Rowe, wouldn't appear in a feature for many years. He too would mix stage and screen roles, and recently had a cameo in the Sacha Baron Cohen film, The Dictator. In contrast, Sophie Ward worked consistently post-Sherlock, with turns in Wuthering Heights, amongst much other TV and movie work. She had recurring roles in Dinotopia, Heartbeat and Land Girls, and made headlines in 1996 when it was revealed she had left her husband for Rena Brannan, a female writer. The pair was wed in a civil partnership ceremony in 2000. Anthony Higgins, in an interesting twist, would play the famous detective in the 1993 TV Movie, Sherlock Holmes Returns, in which he found himself awakened in modern times. He would continue to act on stage and screen, his most recent role being in the Tim Roth drama, United Passions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">While the people in front of the camera may not have faired quite so well, Barry Levinson went from strength to strength. He followed up Young Sherlock Holmes with Tin Men, Good Morning, Vietnam and Rainman, for which he won a best director Oscar. Personal project Avalon (Part of his Baltimore series of pictures with Diner and Tin Men) was followed up by Bugsy, but dream project Toys in 1992, was a costly misfire. Since then he has mixed blockbusters (Disclosure, Sleepers) with satire (Wag the Dog, Man of the Year). In recent times he has even turned his hand to the horror genre with The Bay. His latest feature, the comedy Rock the Kasbah, which stars Bruce Willis and Billy Murray, is set for release in 2015. Steven Spielberg directed The Color Purple while Levinson was working on Young Sherlock. It would be the first of a number of adult orientated projects he would undertake, which would include Empire of the Sun, Always and Schindler's List, which he shot while completing post production work on the blockbuster, Jurassic Park. He remains one of the busiest and most successful producer/directors in cinematic history.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Sherlock Holmes has seen a huge resurgence in popularity in the last few years. The Guy Ritchie films, starring Robert Downey Jnr and Jude Law, kicked things off in 2009. Six months later, under the guidance of Steve Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the BBC introduced Sherlock, a modern day take on the characters, which featured elements of Conan Doyle’s original stories. The show proved incredibly popular and made superstars out of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. It also helped spawn a US equivalent entitled Elementary, with Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu. As mentioned above, Bill Condon has recently completed work on Mr. Holmes, a film starring Ian McKellan as the titular detective, looking back on his life. Some of this success may explain why in 2012, word began to surface of a Young Sherlock Holmes remake. Paramount Pictures hired the writer of The Lion King 3 to pen the script, and secured Chris Columbus to produce (as Warner Bros. had done on their stalled Gremlins remake). At the time of writing, no further news has been forthcoming.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Star power aside, it’s hard to see why Young Sherlock Holmes didn’t perform better at the box office. The film is well remembered by those who have seen it, and even Holmes purists consider it a solid attempt at the character’s origins. The chemistry of the leads is there for all to see, and it’s a shame we didn’t get to see them embark on further adventures together, especially given the ground work laid down by the first film. It remains an enjoyable thriller with some truly terrifying sequences, and while the fabled stain-glass knight doesn’t hold up quite so well, it’s still a fantastic creation, without which Terminator 2 may not have had its T-1000, nor Jurassic Park such convincing dinosaurs. Given the enduring popularity of the characters, Young Sherlock Holmes is more than worthy of a second chance.</span></span></div>
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Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-67192591382350496322015-02-07T01:41:00.001-08:002015-02-12T12:21:28.614-08:0080 From the 80s - The Secret of My Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Secret of My Success</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">There’s no such thing as an overnight success. Brantley Foster took two weeks.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Studio: Universal Pictures :::::::::: Release Date: 8<sup>th</sup> April 1987</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Director: Herbert Ross :::::::::: Starring: Michael J. Fox, Helen Slater</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Budget: $12-18M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $25.4 – 38.2M</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">U.S Box Office: $66.9M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $142.1M</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6666669845581px;"><i>Brantley Foster has dreams of making it big in the world of business. Coming to New York, he gets a rude awakening and ends up having to call upon a distant relative for a job. But starting in the mailroom might not be such a bad thing, especially when he starts leading a double life as executive Carlton Whitfield. If he can survive the advances of his aunt, the corporate sharks and his suspicious boss, he might just make it to the top. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">If one type of person summed up the 1980s, it would be the yuppie. Young businessmen and women, dressed for success and earning thousands in the corporate world. Their money-making matched only by their extravagance; the yuppie was equally lauded and despised, yet was a true product of the decade of excess. Hollywood took notice and the smartly dressed businessman and his multi-million dollar empire became the new villain, and just occasionally, the hero. This is probably nowhere more evident than in Oliver Stone's Wall Street, yet it would be another 1987 picture set in the same world, that would make big money at the box office.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Secret of my Success took the age old rags to riches story and gave it an 80s twist. At the helm would be Herbert Ross, taking on what would be his 18th feature. The veteran director had actually started his career as a dramatic actor, before moving into the role of choreographer for the American Ballet Theatre. This in turn led to choreography work on Otto Preminger's Carmen Jones and the Cliff Richard pictures The Young Ones and Summer Holiday. By 1968 he'd moved up to director of musical numbers on the Barbara Streisand flick, Funny Girl and a year later made his feature directorial debut on Goodbye, Mr. Chips (for which Peter O'Toole would be Oscar nominated). He would reteam with Streisand on the 1975 picture, Funny Lady (for which the actress won an Academy award) and also worked with Woody Allen on Play It Again, Sam. He directed Richard Dreyfuss to an Oscar for his work on The Goodbye Girl, and with writer Neil Simon made The Sunshine Boys and ensemble California Suite.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ross didn't abandon his theatrical work either, though it did take a backseat as he became more in demand as a feature director. He managed to combine the two in the critically acclaimed picture, The Turning Point, a dramatic tale set in the ballet world. Yet despite 11 Oscar nominations, Ross and the film came away empty handed. While he may not have seen such high praise again in his career, he did become a very profitable director. One of his most successful pictures, the 1984 musical drama Footloose, set him up to take on The Secret of my Success. Footloose starred a young Kevin Bacon, moving to a town where rock music has been banned, and clashing head on with the local minister, played by John Lithgow. The $8.2M production was a smash hit, making over $80M in North American cinemas. Its soundtrack was also a major seller, spawning a number of hit singles. Ross would direct one more picture, the Goldie Hawn vehicle Protocol, before signing on board The Secret of my Success - a script Universal Studios had been developing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">At the time of writing the story, AJ Carothers was already a successful screenwriter for both film and TV, having begun his career in the 1940s working as story editor on the show Studio One. He soon graduated to scriptwriting and became close friends with Walt Disney when he worked as a contract writer for the company during the 1960s. He turned out a number of projects, notably the script for The Happy Millionaire and Never a Dull Moment (starring Fred MacMurray and Dick Van Dyke respectively). Carothers continued to write, creating the 1970 show, Nanny and the Professor. He even branched out into speech writing for the likes of Nancy Reagan and Patrick Stewart. As it turned out, The Secret of My Success would be the final script he produced for the screen, and while it was never explicitly stated by Carothers, it would owe a huge debt to the stage musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Universal took on the script but executive Frank Price felt the characters needed fleshing out, so turned to Jack Epps and Jim Cash. The duo was about to have huge success in the summer of 1986 with the movie Top Gun, for which they'd produced the script. They were given only eight weeks to knock the Success script into shape and quickly set about the job. The original screenplay featured the nephew and uncle scenario, but the character of Christy was a high class call girl, favoured by the uncle, and someone who the nephew falls for. Epps and Cash altered this, turning Christy into a high powered fellow executive, who also happens to be the CEOs mistress. They also introduced the character of Aunt Vera, a further complication for the nephew. The studio signed off on the script and gave the picture a spring 1987 slot. All they needed now was a cast, and they had one very particular actor in mind for the lead.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Michael J. Fox was born in 1961 in Edmonton, but moved around a lot during his early years due to his father's military (and later police) career. The family finally settled in Vancouver once his father had retired, and Fox attended a local school where he was encouraged by his drama teacher Ross Jones to try out for a new sitcom entitled Leo & Me. He landed the role of 'me', giving him his first acting break - though the show would not be screened until 1981. But Fox had got the acting bug, and his work on Leo & Me led to a part in the TV movie, Letters From Frank. When a casting agent suggested Fox move to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, he jumped at the chance. Upon arriving and attempting to secure work, the young actor found out he'd need to join the screen actors guild, but as there was already a Michael Fox, he had to either change his name or use an initial. Forgoing the use of his actual middle name (Andrew), Fox took the J from character actor Michael J. Pollard, someone he admired.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Minor roles in Class of 1984 and Midnight Madness (his first US feature) followed, but Fox struggled to find well paid-long term work. He appeared in all eleven episodes of the drama Palmertown, USA before landing an audition for a new sitcom created by Gary Goldberg entitled Family Ties. The only problem was that Goldberg wanted Matthew Broderick for the role of Alex P. Keaton, but Broderick refused to be tied to a long term commitment. This rejection led Goldberg to instantly despise any other casting choice put forward for the role - the first one being Fox. Casting director Judith Weiner pushed for the young actor, feeling he was right for the part, and Goldberg eventually relented and gave Fox another audition. This time around he played the character a little less of a smart Alec, and managed to win Goldberg over. Fox, almost destitute by this point, negotiated his contract via payphone, telling Goldberg's people that he'd only be in 'his office' between 3 and 4pm.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Family Ties was a sitcom which saw two ex-hippie parents clash with their conservative children, Fox's Alex P. Keaton in particular. In fact, the show was sold on the tagline "Hip Parents, Square Kids". The initial idea was to focus on the parental figures played by Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter-Birney, but so positive was the audience's reaction to Alex, that by the fourth episode the focus had shifted to him. While not a huge success straight off the bat, Family Ties hit its stride (and then some) when slotted after The Cosby Show. According to figures released at the time, more than a third of America tuned in. In comparison, at its height, Seinfeld commanded 20% of America's audience.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">When Meredith Baxter-Birney fell pregnant, shooting on Family Ties was delayed, allowing Fox to take on the role of Scott Howard in the movie Teen Wolf. It was whilst shooting that picture at the tail end of 1984, that the cast and crew came across another production team, scouting locations for a project called Back to the Future. There's some conjecture regarding when Fox got offered the role of Marty McFly. One story goes that during Family Ties' second season, Robert Zemeckis sought Fox for the part, but Gary Goldberg refused to allow the director to approach him. Meredith Birney-Baxter was working reduced hours and in her absence Fox's role in the show was elevated further - and Goldberg couldn't risk allowing the actor to take time off to work on the film. The shooting of Back to the Future was delayed a number of times because of casting issues, and Eric Stoltz eventually won the lead role. But after only four to six weeks of filming, he was released from the production, Zemeckis claiming that the actor didn't give the right type of performance for the humour involved. Due to the delays, Birney had now returned to Family Ties full time and Goldberg was willing to give Fox the chance to work on Back to the Future - as long as he also kept his commitment to the show.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">However, during an interview Fox gave to James Lipton in 2005, he stated that five weeks after bumping into the scouting crew, Goldberg called him into his office and gave him the script. He explained that since Stoltz had been let go, Spielberg and Zemeckis wanted him for the lead, and that they'd need him to start work within the week. As stated previously, he gave the actor his blessing, on the proviso that he continued to work on Family Ties. There's a possibility that at the time, Fox wasn't aware of the earlier (failed) approach by Zemeckis. Either way, the actor accepted the part and began to work out how he would juggle his commitment to the show and work on the movie. As he would soon find out, it was a difficult and exhausting task. Fox rehearsed Family Ties from 10am to 6pm, and then rushed to the set of Back to the Future and shot until 4am. He kept this schedule up for two solid months, and while many an actor wouldn't have made it, Fox reveled in it. Having gone from selling his couch for food money to working on not one but two projects, he wasn't about to complain. By the end of that summer, he would see it was more than worth the effort.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Back to the Future was a phenomenon. A huge hit at the box office in North America and around the world, it introduced Fox to a global audience who by and large weren't aware of his Family Ties work. It would go on to make over $380M worldwide, from a budget of only $19M, and became the quintessential 80s movie. Thanks to the film's success, Teen Wolf, released in August 1985 also got a huge boost, with Fox's involvement being milked by the studio for all it was worth. The $1M picture made $33M in North America and at one point, the actor held the top two positions at the US box office. Next up would be the drama, Light of Day, in which Fox attempted to prove he could play the dramatic role as well as he did the comedic one. The picture reviewed well, but struggled to find a substantial audience. The public wanted Fox goofing around, and in The Secret of my Success, they were about to get it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It was the perfect vehicle - allowing him to play a romantic lead, while throwing in more than a dash of slapstick and 1980s style big business. Thanks to his success in 1985, Fox was able to command $5M for the role of Brantley Foster (aka Carlton Whitfield). While budgetary figures for the film aren't available, it's safe to assume that that salary made up a good portion of its costs. Playing opposite Fox in the role of Christy Wills was to be Kristy McNichol, a young actress who had already made her mark in the TV show Family, for which she earnt two Emmy awards. Her career had gone from strength to strength, and she won much acclaim for her performance in the coming of age flick, Little Darlings, opposite Tatum O'Neal. Aged only 19, she earnt an unprecedented six figure sum for her role in The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, and won a Golden Globe for her turn in Only When I Laugh.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But having been acting for so long, and in such demanding roles, McNichol had a huge emotional breakdown while shooting Just the Way You Are in 1982. When the film broke up for Christmas, she refused to return and it would be a further year before shooting would resume. Rumours of drink and drug problems made studios fearful of offering her parts. It would take some time before her career recovered, and she lobbied hard for the role of Christy. Ross was more than happy with her audition and gave her the part, but two weeks before shooting, executives overruled the director for fear the production would be thrown into disarray if McNichol had another episode. [In a 1989 interview, the actress stated that it wasn't the first, or last time, she was passed over for a part because of her early 80s breakdown]. Ross was now left with no female lead and a shoot that was set to commence in less than a fortnight.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In the end the role went to Helen Slater, who was still recovering from the failure of Supergirl some two years previous. She'd been an odd choice for the role, having just one other credit on her resume (an after school special entitled Amy & The Angel) but Alexander Salkind and his son, Ilya, chose her over more established actors such as Demi Moore and Brooke Shields. Despite success with the Superman series, the Salkinds couldn't transform Supergirl into box office gold, and it flopped with only $14M in takings. Slater then won the lead in The Legend of Billie Jean, opposite Christian Slater (no relation). Early hype had the picture pegged to become a hit, but it was largely ignored by the public, making only $3M. When she was called in for The Secret of My Success, Slater was a month or so away from scoring a hit with the comedy Ruthless People, in which she played an inept kidnapper opposite Judge Reinhold.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The other two major roles, that of Howard and Vera Prescott, went to Richard Jordan and Margaret Whitton. Jordan was a notable theatre actor and director of some standing, who managed to mix stage work with movie roles for the duration of his career. Similarly, Margaret Whitton had a successful off-Broadway career before winning acclaim for her work on the 1982 picture, Love Child. Filling out the remainder of the relatively small cast would be John Pankow, Gerry Bamman and Carol Ann Susi as Carlton's secretary, Jean.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Shooting would take place in and around New York during the summer of 1986. At least three different locations would make up the Pemrose building, with the lobby of 599 Lexington Avenue being used for the water fountain fantasy sequence. Filming appeared to have gone off without too many issues, though David Watkin found himself replaced by Woody Allen's cinematographer, Carlo Di Palma, for reasons unknown (years later, writing in his autobiography, Watkin would confess he still had no idea why he'd been replaced). The only other somewhat minor issue was the height difference between Fox and Slater, resulting in some adjustments being made during sequences in which they kissed or walked side by side. With the shoot completed in August 1986, Ross and editor Paul Hirsch had 8 month to assemble the picture to ensure it met its April 10th release date.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Movie soundtracks enjoyed huge success in the late 1970s, a trend that escalated in the 1980s. Studios used popular artists and bands of the time to provide the music which added not only an extra (and long lasting) revenue stream but was used increasingly as a promotional tool for both the artist and the movie in question. Music videos would often feature clips from the accompanying picture or were specially commissioned with stars featuring either as themselves or their characters. Ross had already seen Footloose's soundtrack become a smash hit, and with the music from Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop (to name just two of many) also selling incredibly well, Universal weren't about to miss out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">They commissioned David Foster to write and produce the soundtrack album, having already performed similar duties on St.Elmo's Fire. Foster was already a hugely successful songwriter, providing tracks for all manner of artists including Earth, Wind and Fire, Boz Scaggs and Chicago, whose massive resurgence in the early 80s was thanks primarily to Foster's work. For The Secret of My Success, Foster would write or co-write seven of the ten tracks, along with providing its score. The Who's Roger Daltrey supplied vocals for The Price of Love, Restless Heart sang Don't Ask the Reason Why (which was bizarrely given a different title on the track listing) and Night Ranger performed the title track. The film would go on to feature other tracks that didn't appear on the official soundtrack including Yello's Oh Yeah and Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and The Waves (which was a missed opportunity given that it featured extensively in the trailer and also played during a major scene in the movie itself)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Reviews for the film were mixed - while no one doubted the charm of Michael J.Fox, they felt the big business story was at odds with the slapstick sequences, particularly the bedroom farce it became in its final quarter. Roger Ebert commented that the picture felt like a 1950s script that hadn't been updated, and more than a few reviews echoed that it was too similar to How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - though how much that would have influenced the public's decision as to whether to see the film, is debatable.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Secret of My Success was set to open on April 10th 1987. It would face the second weekend of Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, and the third of the Bruce Willis/Kim Basinger comedy, Blind Date. It would also be Fox's first major release since Teen Wolf, though he was still riding high with Family Ties. The film easily took the top spot during its opening frame, making a decent enough $7.7M from its 1,336 screen roll out. A week later and it lost just 5% of business, adding another $7.4M - the Matthew Broderick thriller Project X offering no real competition. Weekend three saw the film still safely in the top spot, as its overall total approached $28M - easily covering any estimated costs associated with it. Seven days later, and with only Creepshow 2 as competition, The Secret of My Success fell just 17.5% on its previous weekend‘s total. In only a month, it had already out grossed Teen Wolf, and showed little sign of stopping there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The film would stay in the top spot for a further week, before being unseated by the Warren Beatty - Dustin Hoffman bomb, Ishtar. Even with the release of Beverly Hills Cop 2 at the end May, The Secret of My Success held steady in third place, behind the other new release of the week, Ernest Goes to Camp. By weekend number nine, it was still in the top five and had amassed almost $55M. In total the picture stayed in the top ten for an incredible twelve weeks, and ended its domestic theatrical run with $66.9M. Overseas, thanks to the success of Back to the Future, it made a further $44M, for a total global finish of $110M ($233.7M in 2015 dollars). In terms of movies released in 1987, The Secret of My Success was the 7th most successful, beating out Predator, Robocop, The Living Daylights and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It was also incredible successful on video, ringing up almost $30M in rentals.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A year later Michael J.Fox was back in New York for what could be described as the anti-Secret of My Success. Bright Lights, Big City saw the actor play a more mature role than what the public were used to, as a fact checker whose life is falling apart - heavy partying, drug taking and the departure of his model wife all taking their toll. The actor received a number of positive notices, but the film failed to recoup its $25M production budget. Fox then returned to the Back to the Future series, shooting back to back sequels released in 1989 and 1990. Both were smash hits, but another foray into adult fare with Casualties of War struggled to find an audience, though again, Fox's work alongside Sean Penn won praise. In 1991 he made the romantic comedy Doc Hollywood, and it was whilst shooting the picture that he noticed a twitch in one of his fingers. Over the course of the shoot it got worse, and a visit to a specialist revealed he had the early onset of Parkinson's disease. He battled with the condition but kept it to himself and his family, and continued to work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">But he struggled to find the right roles after Doc Hollywood. Life with Mickey, For Love or Money and Greedy all failed to light up the box office, though turns in The American President, The Frighteners and a cameo in Mars Attack kept him in the public eye. In the meantime he'd returned to TV, in the popular sitcom Spin City. He stayed with the show for four years, before Charlie Sheen took up the mantle. In 1998 he went public about having Parkinson's disease and has since become something of a spokesperson for fellow sufferers. He has lobbied for an increase in stem cell research and through his own charity, has raised over $100M dollars. He continues to act and do voiceover work, and returned once again to TV in 2013 with The Michael J. Fox Show.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Helen Slater starred in Sticky Fingers after The Secret of My Success, and appeared opposite Billy Crystal in City Slickers. Since then she has mixed TV movie work with guest appearances in various shows including Smallville, Grey's Anatomy and CSI:NY. She has also ventured into music, releasing a number of albums. Continuing his stage and screen career, Richard Jordan appeared in The Hunt for Red October in 1991, along with numerous theatrical acting and directing jobs. In 1993, while shooting The Fugitive, he was diagnosed with brain cancer and had to withdraw from the production. He died in August that same year. Margaret Whitton continued to dabble with film, appearing in Major League and its sequel and in Mel Gibson's The Man Without a Face. She returned to the stage in 1995 and has since become an independent film producer. After her role as Jean, Carol Anne Susi appeared in numerous film and TV shows, including reuniting with Herbert Ross on My Blue Heaven. In recent times she had lent her voice to the unseen mother of Howard Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory. Susi succumbed to cancer in November 2014.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Director Herbert Ross had a misfire with Dancers, but scored big with the popular weepy, Steel Magnolias. He re-teamed with Steve Martin for My Blue Heaven, which he followed up with Undercover Blues and True Colors. Boys on the Side, a drama starring Whoopi Goldberg and Drew Barrymore would be his final directorial effort. He died in 2001 aged 74. Screenwriters Jack Epps and Jim Cash produced the scripts for the Tom Hanks hit, Turner & Hooch, the Warren Beatty project, Dick Tracy, and Anaconda. Cash passed away in 2000, and Epps retired from the industry in 2004, after writing the Anaconda sequel, The Hunt for the Blood Orchid. Finally, David Foster continued to work in the music industry, providing Whitney Houston with the smash hit, I Have Nothing, for The Bodyguard. He would produce debut albums for Josh Groban and Michael Buble, amongst others, as well as providing music for the 2002 Winter Olympics. He is currently the chairman of Verve Records.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Because it focused so heavily on the culture and fashions of the 1980s, The Secret of My Success has not aged well. Its theme of big business-corporate takeover seems very much of the times too but there is still much to enjoy. Michael J. Fox anchors the film, providing many of its best moments - whether that's evading his boss in a mid-film chase sequence, attempting to charm a co-worker or fighting off the advances of his aunt. Largely forgotten by all involved (the film doesn't even warrant a mention in Fox's memoirs), The Secret of My Success is a slice of pure 1980s entertainment worthy of re-discovery.</span></span></div>
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Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-45360060206047692332015-01-27T02:29:00.002-08:002015-02-08T02:19:31.475-08:0080 From the 80s - The Lost Boys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Lost Boys</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Studio: Warner Bros. :::::::::: Release Date: 31st July 1987</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Director: Joel Schumacher :::::::::: Starring: Jason Patric, Keifer Sutherland</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Budget: $8.5M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $17.9M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">U.S Box Office: $32.2M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $67.4M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>When Michael and Sam move to Santa Carla with their mother, they’re all hoping for a new start. But when Michael falls in with a bad crowd who have a taste for blood, it’ll be left to Sam and the Frog Brothers to battle the creatures of the night and save Michael’s soul before its too late…</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Back in the 1980s, vampires weren't cool. Horror films had taken a decidedly nasty turn, and while cannibals, zombies and werewolves were now the go-to villains, the vampire was relegated to bit player status, reserved for the art house (The Hunger) or for laughs (Love at First Bite). Films such as Lifeforce and Vamp put their own spin on the genre but they couldn't grab an audience. If blood suckers were going to survive the 80s, they needed a re-invention. In a vampire spin on Peter Pan and his lost boys, director Richard Donner was convinced he'd found it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the mid-1980s, Richard Donner was a hugely successful director. He'd begun his career some thirty years earlier, initially as an actor before moving swiftly on to directing TV commercials. Like many veteran directors, he cut his teeth on episodic television, working on a number of major shows including The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Gilligan's Island and The Wild Wild West. His first feature credit was on the Charles Bronson-Mary Tyler Moore picture, X-51 (1961). It would be more than seven years before he'd direct another movie, this time the comedy caper Salt and Pepper, which was followed up by Lola, a romantic drama again featuring Charles Bronson and Susan George. However, it was a next picture, The Omen, which put him firmly on the map.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The terrifying story of a demonic child, The Omen was a financial and critical success, making over $60M off a budget of only $2.8M. Donner then moved onto Superman the Movie, arguably the first modern day take on the genre; setting up a template which almost every other superhero movie would follow. Despite having already shot a lot of footage, Donner was replaced by Richard Lester on Superman II (The story behind which would fill, and has filled, many column inches). Instead he would direct Inside Moves and the Richard Pryor comedy, The Toy, the former being largely forgotten and the latter being a hit in 1982. Three years later he was back with not one but two new movies, passion project Ladyhawke (which he had tried and failed to get off the ground a number of times) and 80s favourite, The Goonies. While Ladyhawke didn’t recoup its budget, The Goonies was a smash hit, becoming the ninth most successful movie of the year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When he read the script for The Lost Boys, it seemed a natural progression - essentially being The Goonies as vampires, with the Frog Brothers as eight year old boy scouts. Psycho II director Richard Franklin had already passed on the project, but Donner could see the potential, and suggested making the characters older to open up further opportunities. Scriptwriter James Jeremias had been influenced initially by Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, in particular the tale of ageless child vampire, Claudia. Teaming up with friend Janis Fletcher, the duo were further taken by J M Barrie and envisaged the story as a reinterpretation of his classic, Peter Pan. They argued that Peter never aged, could fly, and only appeared to Wendy at night - it wasn't much of a stretch to believe he and his fellow lost boys were vampires. The first draft of the script even referred to them by names Barrie had used in his story - David was originally called Peter, and the names of John and Michael (Wendy's siblings) also appeared as fellow lost boys/vampires. Donner was interested in the project but another script had also caught his eye - Shane Black's Lethal Weapon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the end, Donner would pass on The Lost Boys due to the slow pace at which progress was being made. He may also have been weary of working with kids again so soon after The Goonies (The director has stated a number of times that keeping the cast under control was harder than directing the picture itself). For whatever reason, The Lost Boys was now without someone at the helm - though Donner would stay on as producer while moving forward with Lethal Weapon. The studio was still keen on making the picture and hired newcomer Mary Lambert to take over the picture. Like many directors of the time, Lambert made her name on music videos, working with the likes of Janet Jackson, Mick Jagger and Madonna, for whom she shot Like a Virgin, La Isla Bonita and Material Girl (She would later create the controversial Like a Prayer video). It didn't take long for her to exit the project, citing creative differences. Richard Donner now looked to Joel Schumacher, a costume designer turned director he had met through his then-girlfriend Lauren Shuler, who'd produced his hit, St.Elmo's Fire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Joel Schumacher was born in Long Island in 1939. Losing his father at a young age, and with a mother working more than she was at home, the young Schumacher led a very lonely life. Cinema was his primary escape, to such a degree that he would skip school to watch (or re-watch) whatever was showing at the theatre behind their apartment. He initially studied fashion but soon realised that film directing was what he wanted to do. Moving out to Los Angeles, he secured work as a costume designer on Play it as it Lays. This in turn led to him working with Woody Allen on Sleeper and Interiors, while also writing the scripts for Car Wash, The Wiz and Sparkle (which was remade in 2012). His directing career began with two TV movies - Virginia Hill and Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill, while his first theatrical feature would be the Lily Tomlin vehicle, The Incredible Shrinking Woman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After helming the Mr.T comedy, D.C Cab, Schumacher turned his attention to writing (and later directing) St.Elmo's Fire, which launched or furthered the careers of a number of young actors, including Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy and Andrew McCarthy. Despite being something of a critical failure, the picture made good box office and the core group of actors became known as the Brat Pack, a phrase coined in a New York magazine article by David Blum. [The piece was seen by the group as being very negative, and the attention it brought led them to stop socializing with each other. Long term it would have a detrimental effect on their careers].</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When Donner called Schumacher, he agreed to read the script. His first impression wasn't good and he almost turned it down, but he too could see the potential if the characters could be rewritten as young adults. Aiming for the same market that had made St Elmo's Fire a hit, Schumacher agreed to direct if he could get someone to re-write the script more in line with his vision. Schumacher hired Jeffery Boam, who had written The Dead Zone and Inner Space, as well as being an in-demand script doctor for Warner Bros. The duo upped the horror content and turned the character of Star into a girl (she was a young boy in the original version), thereby introducing a sexual element too. Boam was also responsible for creating the grandfather character, along with supplying the names of Edgar and Alan for the Frog Brothers (after fabled horror writer, Edgar Allan Poe). Together, Schumacher and Boam managed to take The Lost Boys from a family-friendly caper to an R-Rated tongue in cheek horror. The studio weren't quite sold on the project, but with an $8.5M budget attached, felt it was a risk worth taking and greenlit the movie for production.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The director felt the budgetary restraints before shooting had even commenced, something reflected in the largely unknown cast. Bizarre as it may seem to a modern audience, Corey Feldman was actually the biggest name attached to the picture prior to its release. The child actor had made the successful jump to teenage star with turns in Gremlins, The Goonies and Stand by Me. He would sign on board to play Edgar Frog - but only after convincing Schumacher he was right for the role by turning up to his audition with long hair. In what proved to be fateful casting, the role of Sam Emerson went to Corey Haim, another young actor whose first screen role was in the TV show, The Edison Twins. He made his feature debut shortly after, opposite Robert Downey Jnr, Sarah Jessica Parker and Peter Weller in Firstborn (the disintegration of Haim's parent’s marriage led to him living with Downey and Parker at one point). He appeared in Stephen King adaptation Silver Bullet, along with other smaller parts, and went on to win a Young Artist Award for his work opposite Liza Minnelli in A Time to Live.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It would be his performance in the coming of age drama, Lucas, which really brought him the attention of Hollywood, and curiously, set his career on a very different path. Haim had read for a part in Stand by Me - and was offered the role on the same day that he was offered the part in Lucas. He chose the latter and River Phoenix ended up in Stand by Me instead. Haim would later state that had he had the time again, he would still have made the same decision. Newcomer Jamison Newlander would take the part of the other Frog brother, Alan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That left three major parts to cast - Michael, Star and leader of the vampire gang, David. Schumacher cast Kiefer Sutherland after seeing his work in At Close Range - this was a few months prior to the release of Stand by Me, in which the Canadian actor played a menacing bully (it was also his first US film). Equally as much of a newcomer was Jason Patric, who would take on the role of Michael, Sam's older brother. The actor had done just one TV movie (Toughlove with Bruce Dern and Lee Remick) and one feature film (Solarbabies) before landing The Lost Boys gig. Schumacher stated that it took him six weeks to convince Patric to take on the role, and only then would he do it on the promise that he would not be required to wear vampire make-up (A promise the director always knew he would have to break).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the final part of the triangle, the role of Star, Jami Gertz was cast, thanks in some part to Jason Patric's recommendation (the two had appeared in Solarbabies). The actress had been working in film since 1981, and already appeared in Endless Love, Sixteen Candles and the Ralph Macchio flick, Crossroads. She would be one of the few female cast members, but proved to be more than a match for the boys. Diane Wiest, who was coming off an Academy award win for her part in Hannah and Her Sisters, would play Sam and Michael's mother Lucy, while Edward Herrmann took on the part of Max, the mysterious new man in her life. One final role, that of grandpa, ended up involving three different actors. Keenan Wynn was initially cast, but passed away before shooting commenced. Next in line, John Carradine was too ill to work at the time, leaving Barnard Hughes to put his own memorable spin on the character. [It's worth noting that while Wynn was said to have passed away before shooting took place, he actually died in October 1986, after filming was all but complete. Given his death from pancreatic cancer, he may have been too ill to take on the role].</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An interesting (yet largely ignored) addition to the back room team was the return of Director of Photography Michael Chapman. A legend in almost every sense of the word, Chapman had been cameraman on The Godfather and Jaws, before graduating to Director of Photography on The Last Detail. He worked with Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver, The Last Waltz and Raging Bull, along with Paul Schrader (Hardcore), Philip Kaufman (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers) and on the Carl Reiner comedies, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid and The Man With Two Brains. He made the jump to directing with the Tom Cruise feature, All the Right Moves, before making the near dialogue-free flop The Clan of the Cave Bear with Daryl Hannah. He directed one more film, TV movie Annihilator, before returning (almost permanently) to cinematography on The Lost Boys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The movie was set to shoot in Santa Cruz, but local authorities keen to uphold their family-friendly reputation of the area refused them permits to film on the boardwalk, unless the name of the town used in finished film was changed. This is the reason for The Lost Boys being set in the fictional town of Santa Carla. The shoot itself, which took place in the summer of 1986, was a fairly chaotic one thanks to its relatively young cast. Not long after work began, Sutherland broke his wrist while showing off on his motorbike. Knowing they would be unable to film around the injury, the actor got a surf shop to create a thin polyurethane cast that immobilized his wrist and allowed him to put on black leather gloves (the character is rarely seen out of them for this reason).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> He and his fellow vampires, who included future Bill and Ted star Alex Winter, supposedly went the method acting route, staying nocturnal for much of the shoot. Corey Feldman used cocaine for the first time during the production, and ended up so obviously out of it that Schumacher fired him, temporarily at least. The Lost Boys would also see the start of Cory Haim's descent into drugs, which would plague him for years to come. While it was a fairly wild shoot, there was also much camaraderie, and many of the cast spent time together when they weren't filming; Patric took Haim under his wing and the two became like brothers both on-set and off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were also issues with the special effects to contend with, which resulted in Greg Cannom joining the picture midway through shooting. That gave him precious little time to pull everything together. He, along with Schumacher and make up artist Ve Neill came up with the concept of the 'vamp out'. Instead of having David and Co. look like traditional vampires, they made them appear as normal people, with the ability to transform into something horrific at a glance. This idea would go on to influence other vampire features, along with Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel TV shows. When Warner Bros. saw the first dailies, they were concerned. The tone of the picture made little sense to them, and when they asked Schumacher if he was making a horror or a comedy, he simply replied 'Yes'. To their credit the director would later state, they did accept a lot without much fuss - the mainly unknown cast he'd chosen, the way the picture was shaping up and its level of violence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the elements began to come together and Schumacher commenced editing, his thoughts also turned to the soundtrack. The haunting 'Cry Little Sister' was written by Gerard McMann and Michael Mainieri (McMann, actually a pseudonym for Gerard McMahon, would also perform it). Roger Daltrey and Echo and The Bunnymen covered Elton John and Doors tracks respectively. Lou Gramm of Foreigner recorded ‘Lost in the Shadows’ and Jimmy Barnes & INXS supplied two tracks – ‘Good times’ and ‘Laying down the Law’. The only issue was that the Lost Boy's budget didn't stretch to cover all this music. Rather than lose the tracks by INXS and Gramm, the director cut a deal with the artists - if they'd allow him to use their songs, he'd direct a music video for each of them in the following year. Both agreed, and while Gramm never took up the offer, INXS had Schumacher direct the video for Devil Inside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Lost Boys was something of a difficult sell for Warner Bros. The trailer had to play up both the horror and comedy elements, without alienating the respective fans of each genre. Music taken from the soundtrack helped get the film noticed via MTV, and a tie-in novelisation was also readied to coincide with picture's release. On the flip side, the R-rating meant that a large part of the potential audience would be barred from seeing the film - or would need to drag along their parents. There was also the fact that there were no major stars on which to hang the picture. But as Schumacher had told the studio when they voiced their concerns during the shoot - they were only in it for $8.5M. A couple of decent weekends would see that figure covered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Lost Boys was set to debut at the very end of July 1987. The summer had already seen the major releases Beverly Hills Cop 2, Predator, Robocop, Dragnet and The Untouchables, many of which were still in theatres. Furthermore, it would open up against The Living Daylights, the long awaited return of James Bond, played for the first time by Timothy Dalton. In the weeks ahead there'd be Stakeout, Masters of the Universe and Can't Buy Me Love all to contend with. Reviews for the vampire flick were quite positive, with Roger Ebert awarding it two and a half stars and praising the cast and cinematography. Others felt it was more style over substance, and the general consensus at Rotten Tomatoes (where it holds a 72% approval rating) is that the film is 'Flawed but eminently watchable'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Lost Boys opened at 1,027 locations on July 31st, making an OK $5.2M. It missed out on the top spot thanks to The Living Daylights, which to be fair, had the built-in appeal, safer rating and almost 700 extra screens. A week on, Bond was still at the top and The Lost Boys slipped down to fifth place thanks largely to the new releases. The good news was that it lost only 23% of its business from the previous weekend. That meant that within its first week, The Lost Boys had already recouped its production budget. In weekend three it fell down to ninth place but again, its weekend to weekend fall wasn't too bad (The Monster Squad, which was released that week, had little impact and didn't break the top ten). It managed to recover a place in the next frame as it crossed the $20M point, helped by a 247 screen expansion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, a week on and it had slipped out of the top ten, never to return. It managed one more weekend before beginning its exit from theatres. In North America it ended its theatrical run with $32.2M, a decent enough return for an R-rated horror with no major stars. Schumacher and Warner Bros. gamble had paid off and things were about to get even better. Debuting on video in January 1988, The Lost Boys went on to be one of the most popular rentals that the studio had ever seen - ultimately far out grossing its theatrical takings. It also became a popular movie on HBO and Showtime, where it played on rotation for many years. Talk of a sequel quickly began to circulate, and Schumacher pitched The Lost Girls to WB, that would see David return (the character being the only one who isn't shown exploding or dissolving, implying that he wasn't dead) to lead a group of female vampires. The studio opted not to move forward with the idea and while other scripts were pitched over the years (with and without Schumacher's support), none made it very far.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It would be almost twenty years before The Lost Boys got its sequel. The Tribe began life as a werewolf movie, but Warner Bros. executives rejected it due to it similarity to The Lost Boys. When they decided to move forward with a sequel (spurred on by the renewed interest in the vampire genre thanks to the Twilight series) they hired The Tribe scriptwriter Hans Rodionoff to re-tool the story as a Lost Boys Sequel. Many rumours circulated as to who would return for the film, and at one point both Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland were said to be considering roles, though nothing would come of it and it may have been more a way to stir up press interest than anything else. Angus Sutherland, Kiefer's brother, would step in to play a new vampire leader. Corey Feldman, who was initially reluctant to return, changed his mind when the studio further developed the script that would see his character, Edgar Frog, have a similar level of prominence to what he had in the original movie. Corey Haim, who wasn't initially involved, would return for a short end credit scene (he would also feature in the two alternate endings included as extras).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The film was released on the studio's straight to DVD label, Warner Premiere, which was set up to release cheap sequels to older movies in their catalogue (at one point Goonies and Gremlins sequels were said to be in development by the label). Despite the very poor reviews, the film was a big success on DVD, recouping its $5M budget in only three weeks. It became the label's best selling release of 2008, and by 2011 has sold in excess of 1.25 million copies. A second sequel, The Thirst, was soon put into production. Feldman would again return, to be joined this time by fellow Frog brother, Jamison Newlander. Haim ruled himself out but stated he hoped to return if a further sequel was produced. In a case of once bitten, twice shy, the public by and large passed on The Thirst, signaling a close to The Lost Boys franchise. In recent years, the vampire genre has seen a major resurgence across most forms of media thanks to Twilight, The Vampire Diaries and similar, with vampires now seen as tragic romantic figures rather than the subject of horror.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Post-Lost Boy, the two Coreys became teen-sensations and starred in a string of movies together including License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream and Blown Away. But substance abuse, arrests and money issues saw both their careers dwindle as quickly as they'd risen. Things came to a head in 1996, when Feldman was forced to fire Haim from Busted, a movie he was directing and co-starring in, due to Haim's refusal to curtail his drug use. While he continued to work, Haim struggled with his addictions, spending time getting clean only to relapse again and again. Feldman's public battle with drugs saw him clean himself up, and while his fame never rose to those earlier levels, he appeared content with the movie and voice over work he was doing, and branched out into music. In 2007 the two would reunite on the reality TV show The Two Coreys. It would see an unemployed Haim moving in with Feldman and his then wife, Susie Sprague. The show, initially partly scripted, took on a much darker edge when it was revealed Haim was back to using drugs. This led to a six month hiatus, and Feldman refused to promote the show because of Haim's relapse. The show ended up being cancelled midway through its second season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The duo planned to team up again on Lost Boys: The Tribe, but Haim was devasted when he discovered there was no role for him. He would end up filming a cameo, but the influence of drugs was evident and he struggled to remember his few lines. In 2010 the actor moved back in with mother to help support her during her battle with breast cancer. He died on March 10th 2010 from complication with pneumonia. Despite using prescriptions drugs, the autopsy revealed there were no such substances in his blood at the time of his death. Feldman revealed later that the two had actually reconciled and had begun developing sequel, License to Fly. Feldman continues to work in all areas of media, including film, animation and reality TV. He released his memoir, Coreyography, in October 2013.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jason Patric won acclaim for his work on Rush, opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh, and again for Sleepers, but his only foray into blockbuster territory with Speed 2: Cruise Control, proved a disaster. He went on to co-star and produce Your Friends and Neighbours and starred opposite Ray Liotta in the well received Narc. His recent work includes The Outsider, Cavemen and The Prince, opposite Bruce Willis. Jami Gertz followed up The Lost Boys with a role in the Brett Easton Ellis adaptation, Less Than Zero. She'd appear again with Sutherland in the 1989 action flick, Renegades, before moving onto the comedies Sibling Rivalry and Don't Tell Her It's Me. She returned to the big time after a four year hiatus working in Paris, with a role in Twister. Since that time, she has favoured TV work, with parts in ER, Ally McBeal and Still Standing. Her recent sitcom, The Neighbours, was cancelled in 2014 at the end of its second season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of all the cast, Kiefer Sutherland went on to have the biggest career. He followed up The Lost Boys with turns in Bright Light, Big City, Young Guns (and its sequel), The Three Musketeers and A Few Good Men. He also reteamed with Joel Schumacher for Flatliners, A Time to Kill and Phone Booth. In 2001 he appeared as CTU Agent Jack Bauer in the TV show 24, a role that made him a global star. It would run for eight seasons as well as a 12 episode event entitled 24: Live Another Day in 2014. He has continued to work in film, as well as lending his voice to Monsters Vs. Aliens, Marmaduke and The Wild. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite the Lost Boy’s success, scriptwriters James Jeramias and Jan Fischer would never produce another screenplay. Jeffrey Boam, who re-wrote the picture, scripted Funny Farm for Chevy Chase, and Lethal Weapon two and three, as well as supplying the script for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He also co-created the TV shows The Witches of Eastwick and The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. The Phantom, starring Billy Zane, was his last produced script prior to his death in 2000. Cinematographer Michael Chapman worked with Bill Murray on Ghostbusters 2, Scrooged and Quick Change in 1990. Throughout the next decade he would rarely be away from film, acting as DoP on Kindergarten Cop, The Fugitive, Rising Sun, Space Jam and Primal Fear. He retired in 2007 after shooing Bridge to Terabithia. Producer Richard Donner made four Lethal Weapon films, as well as Conspiracy Theory, Maverick and Timeline. His version of Superman II also saw the light of day in 2006. He remains married to producer Lauren Shuler.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Joel Schumacher went from strength to strength, following up The Lost Boys with Flatliners, Dying Young, The Client, A Time to Kill and Batman Forever. By 1997 he was one of the most successful directors working in Hollywood, but the critical failure and fallout of Batman and Robin saw his career falter. He continued to work consistently, turning out 8mm, Phone Booth and Phantom of the Opera, but his career never again saw the same heights it did in the early 1990s. His most recent work includes the barely seen Nic Cage-Nicole Kidman film, Trespass, and episodes of the Kevin Spacey show, House of Cards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking back at The Lost Boys, it's easy to see why it was a success. Its mix of comedy and scares, along with the attractive cast proved to be a perfect box office combination. There are many neat touches, including Edgar Frog discussing how no two vampires die the same way, foreshadowing the order and method in which the vampires die later in the film. Its dialogue, violence and soundtrack also added to its success and helped guarantee repeat viewings. In a world where the vampire has again become something to mock, The Lost Boys still retains a decent amount of blood (and bite).</span></div>
Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-71829663778503750652015-01-17T23:42:00.002-08:002015-02-12T12:21:11.166-08:0080 From the 80s - Fletch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Fletch</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Meet the only guy who changes his identity more often than his underwear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Studio: Universal Release :::::::::: Date: 31st May 1985</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Director: Michael Ritchie :::::::::: Starring: Chevy Chase</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Budget: $8M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $17.7M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">U.S Box Office: $50.8M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $111.9M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><br /><em>Posing as a beach bum while investigating the local drug trade, journalist Irwin 'Fletch' Fletcher is approached by a well dressed man with a proposal. All Fletch has to do is show up at the man's house, shoot him dead and he'll be rewarded handsomely. Intrigued, and with his drug story stalled, he agrees to the deal and begins to investigate, little suspecting the danger he's about to put himself into. He'll have the story of his career, all he has to do is live long enough to write it.</em></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Irwin Maurice Fletcher, or Fletch, was created by author Gregory McDonald and made his debut in a 1974 novel. McDonald was a Harvard graduate who had put himself through college by operating yachts. After graduating he worked as a teacher and then a journalist, whilst writing his first book, Running Scared (1964). He left his job at the Boston Globe to concentrate on writing full time, and in 1974 released the first book to feature investigative journalist, Fletch. It was a huge success and won an Edgar Allen Poe award for best paperback original. McDonald has stated that he never intended to write a sequel but the success of the first book was overwhelming. Before long he was back writing, and in 1976 released Confess, Fletch. This too sold in great numbers and earned the author another writing award - the only time in history that a book and its sequel have won back to back Edgars.</span></div>
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Hollywood soon came knocking and the rights to Fletch were snapped up by Universal Pictures. However, McDonald wisely had a clause written into the contract that gave him veto over who could play Fletch. Anyone who was anyone wanted the role, and the author passed on, amongst others, Mick Jagger and Burt Reynolds, who was arguably one of the biggest stars at the time. The studio then put forward the name of Chevy Chase, and despite never really seeing him in anything previously, McDonald agreed on his casting as Fletch. This wasn't the first time the Saturday Night Live star had been considered for the part - according to movie legend, years earlier Chase's manager had urged him to read the novels with a view to him playing the role. At the time the actor was balancing a number of projects and wasn't interested. However, when producer Alan Greisman became involved, along with screenplay writer Andrew Bergman, Chase came on board.<br />
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By the time he took on the role of Fletch, Chevy Chase was already a popular TV star, with a budding film career. He was born in 1943, to parents Edward and Cathalene Chase, a prominent book editor and concert pianist respectively. He grew up in New York (the family are native New Yorkers in every sense of the phrase, being able to trace back their ancestry in the city some fourteen generations) and attended Riverdale Country School before being expelled. He eventually wound up at Haverford College, where he quickly gained a reputation for slapstick, and created a long-running urban legend - that he was expelled again for keeping a cow in his room (Chase would perpetuate this myth for many years despite his roommate revealing in 2003 that the actor left of his own accord, for academic reasons).<br />
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Chase graduated in 1967 but did not go on to study medicine as he had planned at one point. By not continuing his education, he ran the risk of being drafted, but managed to dodge the situation by implying he had homosexual tendencies. Chase got his first break into comedy that same year by co-founding the comedy ensemble Channel One. He would go on to contribute to MAD magazine and provide jokes and sketches for the Smothers Brothers, before taking up comedy full time.<br />
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He appeared on National Lampoon's Radio Hour alongside John Belushi, Gilda Radner and Bill Murray, who would all go on to feature on the Saturday Night Live precursor, NBC Saturday Night. He made his feature film debut in The Groove Tube (1974), a low budget comedy that satirized commercial television, directed by Channel One co-founder Ken Shapiro. In October 1975, when Saturday Night Live launched, he was part of the cast, and had the honour of opening all but one show of that first season with the immortal line "Live from New York, It's Saturday Night!" He soon became known for his sketches, particularly the Weekend Report, on which he contributed material. Curiously, Chase was never actually meant to be part of the cast of SNL, he was contracted for a year as a sketch writer. He only became a cast member during rehearsals for the premiere.<br />
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The actor proved incredibly popular and went on to win two Emmy awards, and a Golden Globe. It was therefore something of a surprise when he opted to leave the show at the end of his contract. Some attributed it to the film offers that were now pouring in, but in reality Chase's girlfriend didn't want to remain in New York, and the pair ended up moving to Los Angeles and marrying. For season 2 of SNL, Chase would be replaced by Bill Murray. The role of Eric 'Otter' Stratton in National Lampoon's Animal House was written with Chase in mind, but he turned down the role to play opposite Goldie Hawn in Foul Play (Tim Matheson, who would co-star in Fletch, wound up playing Otter). He then appeared in Harold Ramis' Caddyshack and reteamed with Goldie Hawn on Seems Like Old Times. In 1983 he appeared in the role for which he is most commonly known, that of Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's Vacation.<br />
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The film, written by John Hughes and based on his short story, Vacation '58, was a smash hit in the latter half of the summer of 1983, making $61M on a budget of only $15M. It was also a critical success too, with almost all the reviews being positive. Yet, despite being on top of the world, Chase was using cocaine on a daily basis, and had been for a number of years. His increased usage was making him paranoid and difficult to work with, and was said to be the reason for the break up of at least one of his marriages. By the time Fletch came around, the actor had sought help for his cocaine (and alcohol) usage, but Universal still weren't sure he could be relied upon. To go some way to ensure Chase stayed on the straight and narrow, they employed veteran director Michael Ritchie to helm the project. Ritchie also had to contend with author Gregory McDonald, who hated the script and what they had done to his story and characters.<br />
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Screenwriter Andrew Bergman had made a name for himself writing comedy - his first script, Tex X, became the basis for Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles. He produced the first draft for Fletch in just four weeks, which was, to all intents and purposes, a very loose adaptation (The shooting script would receive another pass by Phil Alden Robinson). Gone was Fletch's military background, along with a number of other changes that McDonald objected to, including one imagines, the increase in comedy. He went through the script and highlighted his every grievance to the studio. Wanting to keep him on side, Ritchie invited McDonald onto the set to see filming taking place. Afterwards, over dinner, the director went through every single issue the author had with the screenplay, and explained why he was wrong.<br />
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When he took on the job of directing Fletch, Michael Ritchie already had more than 25 years directing experience behind him. In his final years at Harvard, he had produced a version of Kopit's play, 'Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad'. This bought him the attention of producer Robert Saudek, who offered him the chance to direct an episode of Omnibus entitled Saint Joan. From there he went on to direct episodes for a number of popular TV shows of the time, including Dr.Kildare, The Man from U.N.C.L.E and Run For Your Life. He made his feature directorial debut on the 1969 picture Downhill Racer, the first of a number of sport themed movies he would make. He re-teamed with Robert Redford (star of Downhill Racer) on the 1972 satire, The Candidate, before having a smash hit with The Bad News Bears. Despite a few misses over the years, Ritchie was seen as reliable and experienced director. Fletch would be the eleventh movie of his career (discounting an uncredited role on Student Bodies).<br />
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In addition to Chevy Chase, who would feature in almost every scene of the film, Tim Matheson would play Alan Stanwyk, Joe Don Baker took on the role of Chief Jerry Karlin and newcomer Dana Wheeler-Nicholson appeared as Stanwyk's wife, Gail. As previously mentioned, Tim Matheson took on the role in Animal House intended for Chevy Chase, yet by that point (1978) he had been acting for almost 18 years, in all kinds of roles across numerous genres, including voice over work on Jonny Quest and Sinbad Jr. Joe Don Baker was similar, and found himself in the public eye thanks to the unexpected hit, Walking Tall, based on the life of sheriff Buford Pusser. In stark contrast, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson had had just two minor roles prior to appearing in Fletch. The remainder of the cast was filled out by George Wendt, Richard Libertini and Geena Davis.<br />
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With a May 1985 release date in place and an $8M budget to work with, Ritchie got production underway in and around Los Angeles. He was more than aware that he had to keep Chevy Chase occupied, and allowed the actor to improvise many of his lines. In an interview given to the A.V Club in 2009, Tim Matheson stated that Ritchie would shoot two takes for most scenes - the first would be as scripted, while on the second he would allow Chase free reign to do or say as he pleased, within reason. This had the effect of not only keeping the actors on their toes, but creating some of the best lines and reactions in the movie. Chase would later claim he 'winged' most of the shoot, seeing Bergman's script as little more than a guide to the plot and action. He stated that much of the dialogue was unscripted, and he would often make up names or directions on the spot.<br />
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With little in the way of actions sequences, shooting went smoothly enough and work soon began on assembling the finished movie. The director had to sift through a great deal of footage thanks to the improvised nature of the shoot, deciding what played best for any given sequence. The initial cut ran far too long and had to be edited down to a tight 95 minutes (without end credits). This meant a second dream sequence was removed (Fletch being called to pitch for the Dodgers) and a voiceover track was added to help the audience keep track of the plot now that some of the exposition had been removed.<br />
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Very late into post-production, composer Tom Scott was replaced by Harold Faltermeyer. There's scant evidence as to why this took place, other than Scott's work seemed very jazz noir, which may not have fit with what Michael Ritchie was after for the film. Harold Faltermeyer, a one time protégé of Giorgio Moroder, had seen huge success with his work on the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, which in turn spawned the hit single, Axel F. He bought his distinctive sound to Fletch, but revealed in October 2014 that things could have ended up quite differently had it not been for Billy Idol. Around the time of Fletch, Faltermeyer was already at work on the Top Gun soundtrack (it would be a rare instance where a soundtrack was all but completed before a film was shot). He’d created a piece of music that would be used as Fletch's theme, but friend Billy Idol, who was recording close by, convinced Faltermeyer to use the song on Top Gun instead. The composer agreed, and crafted a new piece of music for Fletch. 'Fletch's theme' went on to become one of Top Gun's memorable anthems. As mentioned, the change in composer came very late in the film's production - Tom Scott's name was still listed as composer on the initial posters and trailer.<br />
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Reviews for the movie were generally positive, though more than one critic mentioned how Chase's performance was so casual and knowing, that at times it took you out of the picture. Roger Ebert, in his two and half star review summed the film up as needing 'an actor more interested in playing the character than in playing himself.' At the time of writing it holds a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Fletch was scheduled for an early summer release. While Chevy Chase was now a major star, the picture wasn't expected to be a runaway success - and with an $8M budget attached, it didn't need to be. There would be competition, both direct and indirect, on all sides. The Richard Pryor comedy Brewster's Millions had opened the week before to the tune of $9.8M, while the second Police Academy film, Their First Assignment, was still going strong after two months on general release. Inexplicably, Beverly Hills Cop was also a very real threat despite having opened some six months previous, in the December of 1984. The Eddie Murphy vehicle had been at number one for thirteen straight weeks, and while it had fallen to the lower rungs in March and April, it was back in the top five come May. There was also the second weekend of Rambo: First Blood Part 2 and A View to a Kill to contend with.<br />
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In true Fletch style, the picture hit the ground running, making a solid $7M from its 1,225 screen count during its opening weekend. By the middle of that first week, it had already recouped its production budget and was bracing itself for the release of The Goonies and Perfect. While the former knocked Fletch down a place, the latter barely had an impact. Even with the increased competition, the picture held exceptionally well during that second frame, taking a further $6.3M (a fall of just 10% on the previous weekend). The film continued to play well and by the end of its fourth week on general release, had made over $30M. Even up against Back to the Future, which opened on Fletch's sixth weekend of release, the picture managed to earn $2.3M and fell 22% on its previous frame.<br />
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All up Fletch made $50.6M in North America and a further $9M overseas, against that budget of $8M. It was the 12th biggest film of 1985, beating out the likes of Commando, Teen Wolf and Brewster's Millions. Chase had two other hits in 1985 - Spies Like Us (which would become the tenth biggest film of the year) and National Lampoon's European Vacation (which made just over $50M). Along with Sylvester Stallone and Michael J Fox, Chevy Chase was one of the biggest stars of the year. The film performed strong on video, earning over $24M in rentals. Universal knew a good thing when they saw one, and with more books to adapt, hoped they had the making of a franchise. However, it would be four years before Fletch returned to the big screen.<br />
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In the interim, Chase's career had begun to flounder. The Three Amigos, with Steve Martin and Martin Short didn't clear $40M, Funny Farm made $25M and the ill-fated Caddyshack sequel crashed to $11.8M. Universal managed to convince both Chase and director Michael Ritchie to return for 1989's Fletch Lives. By that point there were eight other Fletch books that could have been adapted for screen, but the studio opted to create an original story instead, written by Leon Capetanos (Down and Out in Bevery Hills, Moscow on the Hudson and Moon Over Parador). The story would see Fletch inheriting a mansion in Louisiana and quitting his newspaper job to live the life of luxury. But when he arrives he discovers the place is completely run down, finds himself framed for murder and suddenly offered a huge sum of money for his apparently worthless piece of land. Reviews were mixed, but the film debuted at the top of the chart upon its release. While history has largely forgotten Fletch Lives, it actually did ok at the box office, making $40M (again, against a budget of $8M).<br />
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Chase would hit the big time again in December 1989 with Christmas Vacation, but three back to back failures (Nothing But Trouble, Memoirs of the Invisible Man and Cops & Robbersons) saw him cast into the wilderness for many years. A failed chat show did little to help matters and his reputation for falling out with co-stars and production staff was as bad as it had ever been. He would continue to work fairly consistently, and even returned to the role of Clark Griswold for Vegas Vacation in 1997, but it would not be until 2009, and his appearance in the sitcom Community, that the actor was again back in the limelight. While he would leave the show in 2012 amid disagreements with Dan Harmon, it gave him the break he needed. At the time of writing, he has returned to the role of Clark Griswold for a new Vacation movie, that will see Ed Helms as his son, Rusty, taking his own family on the holiday of a lifetime.<br />
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Post-Fletch, Michael Ritchie re-teamed with Chase on Cops and Robbersons, before directing The Scout, Fantasticks and A Simple Wish. He died from prostate cancer in 2001. Actor Tim Matheson continued to work at an incredible pace, moving between film and TV. In recent years he has had recurring roles in The West Wing, Burn Notice and Hart of Dixie. Dana Wheeler-Nicholson appeared in a number of one-off TV episodes, along with turns in Tombstone and Fast Food Nation. Finally, writer Andrew Bergman continued to produce comedy scripts, and turned his hand to directing with The Freshman, It Could Happen to You and Striptease, amongst others.<br />
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While no second sequel was forthcoming, a reboot of sorts has been talked about for at least 20 years. During his time working with the Universal Pictures subsidiary Gramercy, Kevin Smith (who had made Mallrats and Chasing Amy for the studio) talked about writing a third Fletch feature, that would once again star Chevy Chase. While the duo did meet to discuss the possibility, little movement was actually made. The actor would later go on to state that Smith had talked up the role over a dinner they had had, but never contacted him again. Smith tells it differently, and states that while they did meet for dinner, his Fletch movie was at least a year away due to him commencing work on Dogma. The director claims the dinner was a disaster, with Chase taking credit for all and sundry. He would take pot shots at Smith in the press for years to come.<br />
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In 2000, it was announced that Smith would direct a new Fletch movie for Miramax, who had gained the rights after they had reverted from Universal. He opted to adapt Fletch Won, a later book of McDonald's that chronologically, was the first story in the series. It would see Fletch as a junior reporter just making a name for himself. Both Jason Lee and Ben Affleck were said to be in mind for the role. In the August of 2003, the studio announced that Smith was set to begin shooting in January of the following year. The director lobbied for Jason Lee but Miramax balked, claiming the actor was not box office material. By the time Lee was a household name thanks to My Name is Earl, Miramax deemed him too old for the role.<br />
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A number of other actors were considered, and at one point, Smith looked to be moving forward with Scrubs star Zach Braff, but nothing came of it. He left the project shortly after and returned to the Viewaskew universe with Clerks 2. In 2006, Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence had taken on the job of directing Fletch Won (and an untitled sequel). In January of the following year, Zach Braff announced that Lawrence saw him as a young Fletch, but no deal was in place and the script was still being written. Three month later, the actor ruled himself out of the running, opting to concentrate on directing Open Hearts (a remake of a Danish film) instead. Lawrence himself would leave the project in June 2007, to be replaced by Steve Pink. Little more was heard of a Fletch remake until 2011, when Warner Bros. gained the rights. They set a number of writers to work on separate drafts but all were deemed unsuitable. In 2013, writer David List, who represents Gregory McDonald's estate, submitted his own draft. This new script was good enough to attract the attention of Jason Sudekis, who signed on board. The studio has apparently signed off on the script but as of January 2015, is still looking for a director.<br />
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Fletch is still a terrific comedy-thriller. Chevy Chase claims it is his favourite role because it allowed him to improvise and utilize props and physical comedy. The character is never caught off guard, and has a line (or lie) for every situation he finds himself in – not dissimilar to Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley. The film moves at a cracking pace, and while the plot does seem a little convoluted, Chase’s performance holds it all together, easily covering any cracks that may appear. It also stands up well to repeat viewings, allowing the character’s subtleties and wisecracks to shine.<br />
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<em>“By the way, I charged the entire vacation to Mr. Underhill's American Express Card. Want the number?”</em></div>
Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-37651208350787519212015-01-09T02:12:00.001-08:002015-02-08T02:19:03.955-08:0080 From the 80s - Heathers <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heathers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Friends, Social Trends and Occasional Murder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Studio: New World Pictures :::::::::: Release Date: 31st March 1989</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Director: Michael Lehmann :::::::::: Starring: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget: $3M ::::::::::: </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">2015</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Equivalent: $5.8M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">U.S Box Office: $1.1M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $2.1M</span><br />
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<em style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Veronica Sawyer is a reluctant member of the most powerful clique in her high school. Heather Duke, Heather Chandler and Heather McNamara are unrelenting in their judgement of others. But when loner J.D joins the school, Veronica may have just found her ticket out of the popularity game, even if it means murder.</em><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Heathers is a 1989 black comedy that was once described as the 'Anti-John Hughes' movie. Told through the eyes of student Veronica Sawyer, it takes a number of teen-flick clichés and turns them squarely on their head. Yet even with its subversive nature, it's hard to believe that writer Daniel Waters created the script with the idea of getting Stanley Kubrick to direct.</span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Daniel Waters was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1962 and secured his first writing work on the school newspaper. His contribution, entitled Troubled Waters, consisted of a fictitious story that featured real students. The column became popular and led to Waters embarking on a career in screenwriting. His first credit would be on the Monty Python-esque ensemble Beyond Our Control in the early to mid 1980s. Waters then set about writing what would become Heathers, working on the assumption that Stanley Kubrick would be the only person who could get a three hour high school movie made. At this stage the script was far more ambitious and covered the entire teenage years of the students. He even took cues from Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket for the opening cafeteria sequence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">The admittedly arrogant writer tried and failed a number of times to get the script out to Kubrick, and soon realised the futility of the exercise. In the meantime, it was being passed amongst Water's fellow students at USC, and one in particular, Michael Lehmann, took more than a passing interest in it. However, the two didn't initially hit it off, and in a recent interview given to the Topless Robot website, Waters stated that Lehmann managed to annoy him before the two had even met, by supplying notes and proposed changes to the screenplay. At the time, Lehman hadn't directed a commercial feature but had gained some notoriety for this short film, Beaver Gets a Boner. With Kubrick obviously not interested (it's highly unlikely the director even received the script), Waters partnered up with Lehmann, who took the project to producer Denise Di Novi (the three, Di Novi, Lehmann and Waters would go on to share the same theatrical agent - though some articles state they already did, and it was the agent who put the three of them together).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Denise Di Novi began her career as a copy editor for the National Observer, before taking up a job as publicist on the film, Final Assignment (1980). This led to her joining production company Film Plan, where she worked on Videodrome and Visiting Hours, amongst others. When Film Plan was sold, she took on the role of executive vice president for New World Pictures, a production company originally founded by Roger Corman. After a time in that role, she managed to secure an independent production deal within the company. Heathers would be her first full producer credit - but it wasn't plain sailing. The executives holding the purse strings didn't get the story at all and had concerns about many of its themes. Di Novi persevered and eventually managed to secure a $3M production budget.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"> In the meantime, Waters (with Lehmann’s help) began cutting back the script to a workable length, as well as lightening up the tone a little. As the pieces began to fall into place, work began on casting. However, it quickly became apparent that the dark nature of the script turned off a lot of potential actors - if the manuscript managed to get past their agents in the first place. Both Jennifer Connelly and Justine Bateman were sought to play Veronica Sawyer, but rejected the role. Drew Barrymore auditioned, and during an initial read through, Dana Delaney read for the part too. Ultimately, Lehmann went with his third choice, Winona Ryder, who would go against her agent's advice in accepting the role.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Ryder had made her screen debut in the 1986 picture, Lucas, but it was her part in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice that brought her to the public's attention. Daniel Waters wasn't convinced that Ryder was attractive enough for the part. While she tested very well, it was a hastily organised make over at a local mall that convinced the doubters that she had the looks to play the role (at the time of the audition, Ryder still looked very much like her gothic Beetlejuice character). Any remaining doubts were quickly erased once filming started. In the original script, Veronica's morals were little better than J.D's, but thanks to Ryder's sympathetic portrayal, the script was retooled to show her as a more concerned/less willing participant in the schemes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Christian Slater won the part of the rebellious J.D, beating out the then unknown Brad Pitt. Pitt had impressed during the read through with Dana Delaney, but had been deemed too nice for the role. On the other hand, Slater felt he'd blown his audition and tossed the script as soon as he was out of the building. The actor began his career at seven years of age, appearing in soap opera The Edge of Night, before making his Broadway debut in 1980 alongside Dick Van Dyke in a revival of The Music Man. Further theatre roles followed, and Slater made his film debut in The Legend of Billie Jean. The picture had been expected to be a hit, but sank quickly upon release. Slater followed this up with more soap opera work before appearing opposite Sean Connery in an adaptation of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. The role of J.D, for which he channeled a young Jack Nicholson, would help him become one of the most popular actors of the late 80s/early 90s.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Like the casting of Veronica, the search for the three Heathers - Chandler, McNamara and Duke, would bring its own set of issues. Lehmann stated he was blown away by how good an audition Heather Graham gave as Heather Chandler, and quickly offered her the role. The actress initially accepted but due to being under 18 at the time, needed her parent's permission. Unfortunately they found the script offensive and forbade the actress from taking on the role. Even after Lehmann met with them personally, they still refused. At the casting director's suggestion, they met with Kim Walker, who at the time was Slater's girlfriend. Despite a lack of experience, Walker won the role and went on to give a memorable turn as the lead Heather.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Way before she got the role of Heather McNamara, Lisanne Falk was a hugely successful child (and later teenage) model, having worked with Brooke Shields at the Ford Modeling agency. By 1979 she found herself the subject of a book - Lisanne: A Young Model, which followed her day to day life. She also appeared on the cover of the 1980 Foreigner album, Head Games. When she auditioned for the role, she lowered her age to 18 (she was in fact 23). Only after being officially cast, did she let slip her real age over a celebratory dinner with the cast and crew - much to their surprise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">The final Heather - Duke, was played by Shannon Doherty. Out of the main female cast, Doherty had the most experience in front of cameras. She'd begun her career at a young age, appearing in minor roles on Father Murphy and Voyagers! before landing the role of Jenny Wilder in Little House on the Prairie. She stayed with the show up to its cancellation in 1983. Other roles followed, including voice work on The Secret of Nimh and the teen movie, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, with Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker. Her next major break, and the show she was starring in when she got the Heather's call, was Our House, a drama that ran for two years. Doherty was interested in Heathers, but wanted the role of Veronica Sawyer, even though Winona Ryder was cast by the time she auditioned. Originally the casting team had envisioned Doherty as Heather Chandler, but after reading the script she asked to try out for the role of Heather Duke.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Even at this relatively early stage in her adult career, the actress was gaining a reputation. Prior to her audition, the casting agent warned Lehmann that Doherty was coming in for the part of Veronica Sawyer - she knew the role was taken but had hoped to impress them enough that they'd recast it. Lehmann said she gave a spirited audition but Ryder was already in place, and so Doherty settled for the role of Heather Duke. [In a 2014 look back at the film, Doherty denied she wanted Ryder's job]. The remainder of cast came together, with Lance Fenton and Patrick Labyorteaux playing jocks Kurt and Ram respectively. Renee Estevez, daughter of Martin Sheen, got the role of Veronica's friend Betty Finn (Daniel Water's purposely gave Veronica and Betty their surnames - seeing them as having a Huckleberry Finn/Tom Sawyer-like friendship). Finally, Carrie Lynn was cast as Martha 'Dumptruck' Dunnstock - a role which was a struggle to fill according to Lehmann, given how casting agents only sent 'cute, slightly plump' girls to audition. Lynn was a 400lb loner - the role of Martha was essentially her playing herself, she would later state.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">The film shot in the first half of 1988 on a 32 day schedule. Filming took place at a number of locations, with actual working schools standing in for Westerburg High (named after Paul Westerburg, lead singer of Ryder’s favourite band, The Replacements). Corvales High School was used for some of the interior shots, with external scenes taking place at John Adams Middle School. The gymnasium at John Adams also housed several sets including Veronica's bedroom. In a further cost saving measure, the kitchen set for both Heather Duke and Heather Chandler's house was one and the same - it was dressed and lit differently for each respective scene.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">The high school setting and cliques led to many of the same groups hanging out together when not shooting. Slater immersed himself in his character to such a degree that he barely to spoke any of the other cast members, save for Winona Ryder. The Jocks Fenton and Labyorteaux spent their downtime sending suggestive notes to the Heathers - and getting far worse back in return. Ryder spent much of her time at Lisanne Falk's place, but also had to find time to study and attend the premiere of Beetlejuice (which took place the same night as the filming of the J.D/Veronica croquet sequence).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">The shoot itself wasn't without its issues. There were restrictions on the amount of hours Ryder was allowed to work each day, given she was 15 at the time (she would turn 16 during filming). Further conditions were placed on the times of day she could shoot, which would result in at least one proposed night time sequence being re-written to take place at dawn (it was shot late afternoon). If Ryder ran out of filming hours for the day, Lehmann would shoot her double walking down corridors or from the knees down. The actress would then add in her dialogue later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Doherty also gave Lehmann a few headaches, and proved to be a bit of a handful - as did her mother who would often mention how "Shannon </span><em style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">is </em><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">the star of a TV show" when filming issues arose. The actress wasn't used to profanity either, and sometimes struggled to get through dialogue if she was required to swear or say something shocking. The character of Heather Duke is seen throughout the film reading Moby Dick. Originally it was meant to be Catcher in the Rye (which made more sense) but the production was unable to get permission to use the book. Similarly, companies such as 7-11 refused to allow their brands to be used. For his part, Christian Slater kept things mostly professional, but the director recalls at least a couple of times when they had to rouse him from his trailer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Lehmann began assembling his edit to meet the March 1989 release date. In the meantime, the production team were in talks with representatives of Doris Day, hoping to license her version of Que Sera, Sera for use in the opening and closing sequences of the picture. Producer Denise Di Novi had a link to Doris Day - her musician father Gene had worked with the actress/singer in the 1950s. However the request was refused as Day wouldn't allow the track to be used in any show or film that featured profanity (Gene Di Novi mentioned at the time that Day even organised a swear jar for her recording team when she was working). In the final version of the film, two different versions of the song are heard, one by Syd Straw, the other by Sly and the Family Stone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Some time after production had ended, Ryder and the Heathers were reassembled to shoot the opening croquet game sequence. Unfortunately, by this point Lisanne Falk had cut her hair, and had to wear a wig while filming. The studio still weren't sure what they had with the finished film, but gave little feedback to Lehmann other than to say Slater’s character didn’t seem evil enough by the end of picture. New World had actually taken issue during the initial funding stage because of the original ending. A much darker finale would see both J.D and Veronica dying, and reuniting in heaven where cliques no longer existed and everyone mingled happily. Daniel Waters claimed the ending went even further, and saw the happy group drinking punch spiked with drain cleaner. New World had refused to fund the film if it wasn't altered, fearing it was simply too dark for audiences to take. [At least one other ending existed, in which Martha stabs Veronica, who then lies bleeding, repeating the phrase “My name’s not Heather”]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">As finishing touches were applied, the production received news that New World were on their last legs, and wouldn't be able to promote the film to any great level - if at all. The good news was that critics were impressed with Heathers, and it currently sits on a 95% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The box office of March 1989 was dominated by Rainman, as it had been in January and February. Fletch Lives had knocked it off the top spot earlier in the month but by the time of Heather's release on March 31st, the Dustin Hoffman/Tom Cruise drama was back at number one. While there were no other major releases that weekend, it would have made little difference if there had been - Heathers debuted at just 35 theatres.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Either due to a lack of confidence or funds (perhaps both), New World couldn't get the initial theatre count any higher. It earnt $177K during its first three days, and while it had one of the highest screen-to-taking averages of the top 15, it was of little consolation. A week later and things were worse - Denise Di Novi had to use $1800 of her own money to take out an advert for the film in the LA Times. The picture shed nine of its screens and made $123K; and while word of mouth was strong, not enough of it was reaching the general public. Even if they wanted to see Heathers, there was little chance of them finding a screening outside of Los Angeles. The film expanded to 54 locations during its third weekend and made almost $245K, but the writing was more than on the wall. By the end of its theatrical run three weeks later, Heathers had earnt $1.1M.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">It would be a long time before anyone made money off the film. Writer Daniel Waters joked that he made more money from an unproduced treatment for The Parent Trap 3 than he did off Heathers. But like so many misses of the 1980s, the home video market saved it. The picture quickly developed a cult following, and for a time its dialogue and terminology was adopted by a generation of film fans (and high school students). It arguably paved the way for similar movies such as Clueless, Jawbreaker and Mean Girls. If the latter film shares more in common with Heathers than most, it's because it was directed by Daniel Waters' brother, Mark.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Lehmann followed up Heathers with Meet the Applegates, a movie about a group of giant praying mantis who disguise themselves as humans and move to Los Angeles. It actually made less money than his debut theatrical feature. His next project would see him re-teaming with Daniel Waters (who in the interim had written the Andrew Dice Clay vehicle, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane) on what was expected to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer of 1991. Hudson Hawk was famously known for being Bruce Willis' vanity project and had a very troubled and messy production. It became one of the biggest failures of the time and all but killed Willis' career until the critical success of Pulp Fiction and the financial smash of Die Hard with a Vengeance in 1994 and 1995 respectively.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Lehmann didn't direct another feature until Airheads in 1994. He went on to direct 40 Days, 40 Nights, The Truth about Cats and Dogs and Because I Said So, before moving to direct almost exclusively for television. In recent years he's worked on True Blood, Nurse Jackie and Californication. Despite having worked on three back to back failures, Daniel Waters secured the job to provide the screenplay for Tim Burton's Batman Returns. He followed this up with the script for the Sylvester Stallone picture, Demolition Man. In 2001 he made his directorial debut with Happy Campers, and reunited with Winona Ryder on 2007's Sex and Death 101. In more recent times he provided the screenplay for Vampire Academy (directed by his brother) and is currently at work on a Sabrina the Teenage Witch reboot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Despite the bumpy start to her producing career, Denise Di Novi went from strength to strength. She worked again with Michael Lehmann on Meet The Applegates before going on to produce Tim Burton's next three features, including Batman Returns (she also produced Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach). She reteamed with Winona Ryder on Little Women, after which she began to focus almost exclusively on romantic comedy/dramas, including Message in a Bottle, Life as We Know It and Crazy, Stupid, Love. Her latest project, Focus, stars Will Smith and Margot Robbie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Winona Ryder saw great success during the 1990s, though admitted that the role of Veronica Sawyer did initially see her passed over for a number of projects. Post-Heathers she went on to star opposite Cher in Mermaids, reteamed with Tim Burton for Edward Scissorhands and joined the impressive cast of both Dracula (for Francis Ford Coppola) and The Age of Innocence (for Martin Scorcese). Further acclaim followed with Little Women, The Crucible and Girl, Interupted (opposite Angelina Jolie) but her career stalled after a bizarre shoplifting incident in 2001. The actress was given community service and ordered to pay $10,000, but the damage to her career was long lasting. After a brief hiatus, she took on roles in smaller projects, and received critical acclaim for her work on 2010's Black Swan. She also reunited with Tim Burton on the animated feature, Frankenweenie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Similarly, Christian Slater saw notable success in the 1990s with Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Young Guns 2 and arguably his finest role, as Clarence Worley in True Romance. Turns in Interview with the Vampire (replacing River Phoenix), Broken Arrow and Hard Rain all bought him varying degrees of success. But a 1997 arrest, for the assault of his then girlfriend, Michelle Jonas, saw him spend time in rehab and jail. His career never recovered fully and while he has worked consistently in TV, film and theatre since, he has been unable to recapture that earlier success.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Shannon Doherty initially went on to bigger things after Heathers, taking on the role of Brenda Walsh in the hugely successful TV show, Beverly Hills 90210. After leaving in 1994, she worked on a number of TV movies, but appearances in Playboy, brushes with the law and her on-set reputation all hampered her career. She returned to success in the Aaron Spelling show, Charmed. In recent years she has hosted or appeared on a number of reality TV shows. She also reprised the role of Brenda in the new version of Beverly Hills 90210.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Lisanne Falk took on a number of smaller roles throughout the 1990s, notably in Night on Earth (which also featured Winona Ryder in one segment) and Suicide Kings. She retired from acting in 2002. Despite her villainous performance, Kim Walker took on few roles after Heathers, mainly in TV movies or one-off episodes. She died of a brain tumour in 2001, aged just 32.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">It’s little surprise that Heathers never got a sequel, despite Winona Ryder pleading with Daniel Waters every few years to write another. At one point there was talk of a follow-up being set in the world of politics that would see Veronica Sawyer murdering her way to the top – egged on by the ghost of J.D. The actress even managed to get Meryl Streep interested while the two worked on The House of Spirits. Two unrelated TV shows were also proposed, in 2009 and again in 2012, but neither developed past the pilot stage. A musical based on the film was produced in 2010 and played a number of small venues. It continued to be performed in the intervening years, and appeared at Off Broadway’s New World Stages in March 2014. It ended its run somewhat abruptly in August of that same year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Even though Heathers wasn’t one of the most memorable films of the 1980s, many of its themes still resonate today – perhaps more so than at the time of its release. The picture’s darkly comic, cynical tone seems more in line with the modern portrayal of high school life than the movies of John Hughes. Given its late 80s release date, its music and fashion is less jarring than most, and the picture retains the ability to shock – Winona Ryder still finds the film to be incredibly dark and subversive, particularly the closing seconds of the cow-tipping sequence in which you can glimpse in the background, Heater McNamara being date-raped by one of the jocks. One imagines if it were remade today, the comedy would be jettisoned in favour of gritty realism, yet it’s that comedic edge that allowed the film to get away so with much. They might say war is hell, but then so is high school.</span></div>
Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-37626603782113162712014-12-16T02:55:00.004-08:002015-02-08T02:18:50.085-08:0080 From the 80s - Gremlins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Gremlins</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Studio: Warner Brothers Release :::::::::: Date: 8th June 1984</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Director: Joe Dante :::::::::: Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Budget: $11M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $25.3M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">U.S Box Office: $148.1M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $347.3M</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><em>Billy’s new pet, a Mogwai, comes with three simple rules. Never expose it to bright light, never get it wet and most importantly of all, never, ever feed it after midnight. But when all three rules are inadvertently broken, it’s down to Billy, Kate and Gizmo to save the picturesque town of Kingston Falls from the chaos unleashed by Gremlins. </em></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">If things had worked out as planned, Gremlins would never have been produced. The script was written purely as an exercise by Chris Columbus to show studio executives that he could write screenplays. The young author had no idea at the time that his story would be made, and go on to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the year - not to mention spawn a wave of merchandising and bring about a change to the film classification system. But Gremlins, released in the summer of 1984, did all that and more.<br /><br />Chris Columbus was born in Ohio in 1958, and after graduating, went on to attend the Tisch School of the Arts. Hoping to find a way into Hollywood, he started work on the script for Gremlins. The idea of a gremlin in the works was first conceived during the Second World War when aircrafts suffered seemingly unexplained mechanical failures. This was elaborated on by author Roald Dahl in his 1943 book, The Gremlins, a title which was written as a pre-cursor to a Disney movie that was never made. Columbus' primary inspiration came from listening to what seemed to be an army of mice scuttling around his loft late at night. From that starting point he began work on the spec script that would become Gremlins. [A spec script is a non-commissioned, unsolicited screenplay that a writer hopes will be picked up by a studio]. At some point the manuscript ended up on the desk of Steven Spielberg, who would later describe it as 'one of the most original things I've come across in many years'.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Spielberg opted to produce the film through his Amblin Entertainment production company along with studio Warner Bros. The script still needed some work, primarily to remove a number of the much darker elements. In the original screenplay Billy's mother is killed during her encounter with the Gremlins and her head thrown down the stairs when Billy rushes into the house. Another scene saw Billy's dog get eaten and hordes of gremlins attacking patrons at a fast food restaurant. All these were either cut or rewritten. Another major change would be the roles of Gizmo the mogwai and Stripe, but that would not come until the picture was six weeks away from shooting. Even with Spielberg's huge success on Jaws, E.T and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Warner Bros. were still cautious of the project. However, they also wanted to work with the famed director so pushed ahead despite reservations. Just to be sure of reducing the risks, the studio put up a budget of less than $10M, which would rise to $11M during post-production. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">The search was now on for someone to helm the picture. Spielberg himself was knee deep in a number of projects, along with directing the second Indiana Jones film, Temple of Doom, so he was out of contention (if indeed, he had ever been). However, a young animator turned director was making waves with his short film Frankenweenie. Spielberg considered Tim Burton for some time, but ultimately passed on the idea due to Burton's lack of feature experience (he would go on to make PeeWee's Big Adventure his feature debut in 1985). Instead, Spielberg turned his thoughts to Joe Dante, a director he had recently worked with while shooting his segment on The Twilight Zone movie. The anthology, based on the cult TV show, consisted of four short films, with Spielberg and Dante helming two, while John Landis and George Miller directed the others.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Joe Dante, like a number of directors of the time, had got his break in the industry thanks to Roger Corman. His first actual directing credit was on the 1968 flick, The Movie Orgy, a seven hour compilation of old movie clips, adverts and film trailers that he cut together while still a college student. His editing skills caught the attention of Corman despite The Movie Orgy not getting a showing beyond colleges and repertory theatres. For his actual feature debut, Dante co-directed Hollywood Boulevard with Allan Arkush. The picture was the result of a bet that Roger Corman had with fellow producer Jon Davison, who claimed he could make a film for less money than Corman had done previously. Taking him up on the bet, Corman gave the production just $60,000 and a ten day shooting schedule. To get around budget (and time) constraints, Dante and Arkush created a movie that would feature footage from previously produced Corman flicks, linked by the story of a girl coming to Hollywood to find fame and fortune. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">While it didn't set the world alight, it put Joe Dante on the map. His next film, Piranha, written by John Sayles, elevated his status further and showed his keen skill for combining horror and comedy. The film was a shameless cash-in/parody of Jaws, but thanks to a smart script and direction, managed to rise above the other similar movies of the time. It also caught the eye of Steven Spielberg who called it '"the best of the Jaws rip-offs" and convinced Universal Pictures not to take out an injunction against it. Dante would re-team with Sayles on the 1980 werewolf horror The Howling, again adding a darkly humorous streak. Reviews for that film were generally positive and it received notable mentions for its impressive special effects work (Courtesy of Rob Bottin, who took over the job when Rick Baker left to work on An American Werewolf in London). Despite the success, Dante struggled to find further feature directing work, and instead worked on episodes of Police Squad. When Spielberg began assembling a crew for The Twilight Zone, Joe Dante got a call. He would turn in segment 3, the tale of a teacher and an omnipotent boy, a remake of the episode It's a Good Life. While Landis and Spielberg's sections disappointed critics, Dante and Miller's won much acclaim. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Being able to blend horror and comedy so well, Dante was the perfect match for Gremlins, which would tread a very fine line between the two genres. Steven Spielberg would co-produce the picture via Amblin and Warner Bros, with Michael Finnell acting as overall producer (a role he had also occupied on The Howling). Pre-production work could now begin, and while decisions over how to portray the gremlins were on-going, Dante set about casting the lead and supporting characters. For the role of Billy Peltzer, Zach Galligan was cast despite having just two minor credits to his name - an after school special and a TV movie. However, his chemistry with Phoebe Cates during the audition phase convinced Spielberg to rally for him to get the part. On the other hand, Cates was almost passed over for the role of Billy's girlfriend Kate Beringer due to the risqué nature of her previous work. The young actress had made her debut in the 1982 feature Paradise, and then gave a memorable turn in Amy Heckerling's Fast Times at Ridgemont High and the teen sex comedy, Private Lessons. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">The supporting cast would be made up of more experienced actors, starting with Dick Miller, who had already worked with Joe Dante on Piranha, The Howling and his segment of the Twilight Zone movie. He'd be cast as Billy's neighbour, World War 2 veteran Murray Futterman. Country singer Hoyt Axton would take on the role of inventor Rand Peltzer (Billy's father) thanks to his turn in the 1979 picture The Black Stallion. According to the director, Axton had always been the number one choice for Rand, but he still screen-tested a number of other actors including Pat Hingle and Michael Gough. There's some conjecture over who actually gave the best performance. According to one source, Hingle was too good, and it was feared his character would dominate the picture if he were cast. Dante himself claimed on the DVD commentary that Michael Gough tested the strongest, but that the tone of his performance didn't gel with what they were looking for. Axton's role was further expanded to that of narrator when an introductory scene was scrapped.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Polly Holliday would provide a memorable turn as the dastardly Mrs Deagle, the old woman hell bent on making the townsfolk’s lives miserable. At the time Holliday was seen as something of a casting coup, being that she was a popular TV star thanks to her role in the sitcom Alice. Rounding out the cast would be veteran actor Keye Luke as Mr. Wing, along with Judge Reinhold and Edward Andrews, who would play Billy's superiors at the bank in which he works. Finally, child star turned movie actor Corey Feldman took on the part of Pete Fountaine. With casting complete, two things were about to affect proceedings - one of which would have a lasting effect on the film’s on-going success. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Steven Spielberg came up with what would be a game changer, not only for the film but also its merchandising prospects. In Columbus' original script, Gizmo and Stripe were one and the same - after the rules are broken, Gizmo turns into Stripe, and proceeds to terrorise Billy and the townspeople. But going over the script again, Spielberg could see that the audience would take to Gizmo, sympathise and root for him. He'd also make a great sidekick for the leads. The decision was made to rework the story that would see Stripe spawn from Gizmo when water was spilt on him. While this gave the puppet and effects crew extra work, all felt it would be worth the pay off. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">The other big change wasn't to the film's content, rather its release date. It's often puzzled people why Gremlins, which is set at Christmas time, wasn't released in December. In reality that was the plan; with Warner Bros. hoping it would be their big festive hit. However, when they discovered they had no major releases for the summer of 1984 - when Universal had Temple of Doom and Columbia had Ghostbusters - they pulled the film's release forward into the middle of the year. That meant the production team had around six months less in which to complete the picture, and put a sense of urgency onto getting shooting completed so the extensive effects work could get under way. None of this helped solve the biggest issue the film faced - how to bring Gizmo and the gremlins to life. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">CGI was still very much in its infancy - and what was available simply wasn't capable of creating living, breathing creatures with any level of believability. Joe Dante turned to Chris Walas, a special effects guy with whom he'd worked on Piranha. Walas would later state that he had had no idea how they were going to make it all work, and took the job on out of desperation more than anything else. Initially they opted for stop-frame animation, but this was quickly dismissed due to the incredible amount of time it took to do even the simplest of scenes. Next, in what was surely a moment of panic (or insanity) they tried putting a gremlin-style mask on a monkey to see if that would work. It was a disaster, with the animal bouncing around the room in pure terror. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">In the end, they opted to create full and partial models of the gremlins, along with numerous ones of Gizmo, including a larger version of his head that could be used for close ups. The animatronic creatures weren't cheap to produce, costing around $30-40,000 each. This led to security guards being posted on the set to ensure that all the models were returned at the end of the day's shooting. Even with two months of puppet work set aside after the main shoot was complete, filming was still arduous. Gizmo in particular caused the crew a number of headaches, and required up to twelve people to control, depending on the scene and what was required. Small internal parts meant it was often breaking down, resulting in many long hours on set while scenes were re-shot. According to Dante, the scene in which the gremlins pin Gizmo and throw darts at him was created at the behest of the puppeteers, who wanted some small revenge for the hours of difficult work they had endured. But no one could deny, the character worked incredibly well and proved Spielberg's idea was a great one – the public would love Gizmo.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">The fictitious town of Kingston Falls, where the film is set, was actually created on the Universal back lot, and would be used again for Back to the Future. Other sequences, such as the Chinatown opening, were shot on the Warner Bros. lot. Having begun shooting in April of 1983, principal photography was finally completed in August. By this stage Chris Walas was already burnt out from the long days (and nights) on set, and still had another two months of puppet work to complete. Further partial models were created, enlarged gremlin ears, legs and hands, along with over sized food to be used in scenes showing the creatures eating and drinking. An enlarged Gizmo was required for the shots in which he multiplies after water is spilt on him - the pulsating mogwai furballs being created via the use of fur-covered balloons. By the time the puppet work was completed, Walas was on crutches, suffered kidney stones and had spent weeks surviving on three hours sleep a night. He would later say it was the most horrendous film experience of his career, yet bizarrely, because of how close-knit the cast and crew were, it was also one of his happiest.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Work continued apace to meet the summer release date. The score for the picture was provided by Jerry Goldsmith, who would win a Saturn award for his efforts. Goldsmith would go on to score two further Dante directed pictures (The 'Burbs and Small Soldiers). The 'voice' of Gizmo was provided by comedian Howie Mandel, while noted voice actor Frank Welker supplied the few words Stripe speaks. He, along with Police Academy's Michael Winslow and Mark Dodson, would give voice to the remainder of the gremlins, whose sounds and dialogue were largely improvised. At Spielberg's suggestion the ending of the movie was also re-shot. Originally Billy was the clear hero of the finale, but in the new ending, Gizmo in his pink Barbie car saves the day. Actor Zach Galligan had no idea of the change until he sat down to watch the completed picture for the first time. Judge Reinhold and Edward Andrews saw their roles reduced as Dante attempted to get the film's edit down from two hours and forty minutes. The movie’s title sequence would mark the debut of the Amblin logo, and also featured the Warner Bros. shield for the first time in years. [If one looks very closely at the poster, you can also see the Amblin logo on the button of Billy's jeans].</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Ultimately, Gremlins original low budget swelled to $11M. Despite the fact the film would only need a couple of good weekends to break even, Warner Bros. were still unsure of its chances, with executives especially concerned about its dark tone. Even Steven Spielberg wasn't sure how the film would play, and one scene in particular - where Kate relates the death of her father, led him to believe it would polarise audiences. He talked at some length with Dante about the possibility of removing it, but the director refused and Spielberg let it be. What they were sure about was the merchandising potential of Gremlins. If they could get people to fall in love with Gizmo, the sky was the limit - dolls, lunchboxes, games - anything that could carry a picture of Gizmo (or Stripe) was a potential money-spinner. As was becoming the normal practice, Atari had already started work on a videogame adaptation, while Topps had a line of trading cards readied for release.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Critical reception for Gremlins was largely positive, with one notable exception. Roger Ebert loved its sly, satirical humour but Leonard Maltin famously savaged the film, noting its picture postcard setting felt at odds with the chaos and violence that befell it. But whether critics liked or loathed the picture, many noted that its graphic violence felt at odds with its PG rating. The issue would have long term affects and before the end of the summer, set changes in motion. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">As has been mentioned before, the summer of 1984 was a big one. There weren't a glut of new releases, but many that were released, struck gold. In a move that seems inexplicable to the modern box office reporter, Gremlins opened on the same weekend as Ghostbusters. It's hard to figure out the reason for this, considering both films would have surely eaten into the other's audience. If Gremlins failed, Warner Bros. would at least have Ghostbusters to blame rather than the quality of their own movie. In terms of other competition, the summer had already seen success with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Stark Trek III: The Search for Spock - two films that would still be relatively new by the time of Gremlin's release. Older hits such as Police Academy, Romancing the Stone and Footlloose were still in theatres, However there wouldn't be much to trouble the picture in the weeks ahead. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">If the weekend of June 8th 1984 proved anything, it was that you could release two pictures with similar target audiences, and have two smash hits regardless of their final chart position. Gremlins may have had to settle for second place, but with a $12.5M opening total, it was anything but the loser. Interestingly, the film played stronger in New York then Ghostbusters did. In an interview for Empire magazine in the summer of 2014 Dante stated that this was because the filming of Ghostbusters had caused so much annoyance and disruption to New York that the natives stayed away - at least initially. Within only three days, Gremlins had earnt back its production budget and the character of Gizmo was already winning fans. This was something the studio, and Spielberg in particular had banked on. The merchandising stepped up. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">A week later there was no change for the two top spots, and incredibly, both films saw an 11% increase in takings over the previous weekend. While Ghostbusters widened its lead, there was little cause for concern. Weekend three told a similar story, even with Rhinestone, The Karate Kid and Top Secret thrown into the mix. By this point Gremlins had recouped its budget some five times over and the studio were already looking at Gizmo (and Stripe) dolls being major sellers in the coming holiday season. In all, the two films occupied first and second place for six straight weeks, at the end of which Gremlins had made $95M. Only in weekend seven did it slip one place with the release of the Dudley Moore/Eddie Murphy comedy, Best Defence. Summer came and almost went, and the film was still in the top ten. While the gap between its takings and that of Ghostbusters had widened substantially, Gremlins was still clearing anywhere between $1-3M each weekend.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Records show it remained in the top ten for sixteen weeks in total, making an impressive $148M. The merchandise continued to fly off shelves while new opportunities were explored and exploited. Gizmo even got his own back story courtesy of a novelisation written by George Gipe (who never actually got to see the film). The picture also cleaned up on VHS too, making a further $79.5M in rentals. Warner Bros. put the film back into theatres in August 1985, adding another $5M to its total. It became the fourth biggest hit of 1984 behind Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters and Temple of Doom, and while figures aren't available, it's save to assume the merchandising was equally, if not more successful. In its wake, other studios tried to jump on the bandwagon, and a number of knock-offs were quick to emerge including Critters, Ghoulies and Munchies. Of those three, Critters was the most successful and spawned three further sequels. Its director Stephen Herek also maintains that it was written before Gremlins, and the script rewritten later to distance itself.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">But one downside did continue to raise its head throughout the theatrical run - that of the film's PG rating and its graphic violence. A similar thing had been raised against Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. There were reports of parents walking out of screenings with their young children and Joe Dante himself sympathised with them. Gremlins, despite its cute character and Christmas setting, wasn't a film for young children. It was Steven Spielberg who suggested to the MPAA that an intermediate rating between PG and R was what was needed. This would inform parents that a film was unsuitable for young children, without alienating the slightly older market (or their parents). The introduction of the new rating came very quickly, and the first film to carry the PG-13 moniker, John Milius' Red Dawn, was released just two months after Gremlins debut. For a while it opened up a new market to studios and movie makers - it meant they could craft more violent, edgier films with losing the all important teen market by being hit with an R-rating. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Having seen how much the film and its related merchandise had made the company, Warner Bros. wanted a sequel as soon as possible, and asked Joe Dante to begin work almost immediately. The director wasn't interested, saying that Gremlins worked well as a single picture - it had a beginning, middle and logical ending. Furthermore, working to such a tight deadline and budget, along with all the headaches the puppets had provided, had left him burnt out. The studio pressed ahead anyway, approaching numerous writers and directors to get the project moving while the characters were still fresh in the public's eye. A number of ideas were entertained - the gremlins invading Las Vegas or travelling to Mars being just two of them, but nothing stuck. Eventually Warner Bros. returned to Joe Dante and offered him triple the budget and full creative control to do whatever he wanted. A number of years had passed since the original and the director wasn't even sure the characters were relevant anymore, but the promise of full control convinced him to sign up.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">The setting for Gremlins 2: The New Batch would be New York, and both Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates would return, along with Dick Miller's Murray Futterman (Miller has appeared in almost every single film Dante has directed). Christopher Lee would play a genetics scientist while John Glover gave a memorable turn as CEO Daniel Clamp. Someone who didn’t return was Chris Walas, and so creature design fell to Rick Baker, who initially turned the job down for fear of being too constrained by what came before. When Dante told him that he too had free reign to create whatever he wanted, he signed on board. The plot would allow for all manner of gremlins this time around, including a super intelligent one with the ability to talk (and voiced by Tony Randall). Unlike the first film, where the merchandising developed as its success increased, Gremlins 2 hit the ground running with numerous tie-ins and the like. Sadly critics weren't as impressed with the sequel, and despite a $9M opening weekend, it made only $41M in total. But at least the gremlins got to have their revenge on critic Leonard Maltin in one scene.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Between the two movies, Joe Dante directed Explorers, The 'Burbs and Innerspace. He'd go on to make Matinee, Small Soldiers and Looney Tunes Back in Action, amongst others, but none were ever as successful as Gremlins. His most recent release, The Hole, was well received but criminally under seen. His next project, Burying the Ex, currently has no release date. As we have seen a number of times already with 80s actors, Zach Galligan struggled to find work outside of the Gremlins franchise. He appeared in Waxworks and its sequel, and now divides his time between TV, movie and theatre work. Phoebe Cates would appear opposite Michael J.Fox in Bright Lights, Big City (1988) and with Rik Mayall in the 1991 comedy, Drop Dead Fred, before retiring from acting in 1994 to raise her family. Since that time she has appeared on screen just once, as a favour to friend Jennifer Jason Leigh in the 2001 comedy drama The Anniversary Party.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Over the years there has been much talk of a reboot or remake, and the characters themselves continue to remain popular. Speaking in 2012, Chris Columbus stated that he couldn't see how a remake would work in today's CGI obsessed environment. However, by 2014 he had changed his mind was said to be co-producing the remake through his 1492 production company. In April that same year a number of websites reported that Warner Bros. were planning to fast track a new Gremlins films (along with the long-gestating Goonies sequel). A few months later Film Divider reported that Morgan Jurgenson and Alex Ankeles had pitched an idea that went down a storm with 1492 and they were now awaiting approval from Steven Spielberg before moving forward on the script. At the time of writing, there is no further update on their remake.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Gremlins still plays incredibly strong today, its deeply dark streak coming off well against the Christmas setting. The puppets may be showing their age, but there's no denying the charm of Gizmo and mischievousness of Stripe & Co. The violence, particularly in the kitchen sequence, is still strong enough to shock, as is the graphic finale. The creatures offer up a real sense of danger, but Dante manages to perfectly tread that fine line between hilarious and horrifying. It still makes essential viewing for a cold festive evening. </span></span>Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-73641000622413619242014-12-03T02:20:00.000-08:002015-02-08T02:18:40.388-08:0080 From the 80s - The Last Starfighter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">The Last Starfighter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">He’s got one extraordinary chance at the dream of a lifetime</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Studio: Universal </span><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">:::::::::: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Release Date: 13th July 1984</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Director: Nick Castle :::::::::: Starring: Lance Guest, Robert Preston</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Budget: $15M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $34.5M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">U.S Box Office: $28.7M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $66M</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><em>When trailer park resident Alex Rogan breaks the high score on a Starfighter arcade machine, he doesn't realise he has just proved his worthiness to be a real Starfighter pilot. Visited by the mysterious Centauri, Alex soon finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic war that'll require more than just his skills to win.</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Like a number of 1980s movies The Last Starfighter is often forgotten, yet for those who saw it in cinemas, or more likely on video, it remains a much loved gem. Released in July 1984, it broke ground for its revolutionary use of computer graphics but actually owes its inspiration to one of the oldest of legends, that of the sword in the stone. With the popularity of the video arcade still on the rise, writer Jonathan Betuel sought to combine the classical adventure with a modern one, and thus The Last Starfighter was born.</span></div>
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<br /> <span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Betuel was working at an ad agency in the very early 80s and during time between client meetings, found himself in an arcade watching a young kid playing a game. He pictured the game as a test, and the young Arthur being someone who achieved the highest score. From that vision, Betuel was able to craft a script in which the machine acted as a recruitment tool - when the high score was broken the machine would beam out a message to a distant civilisation, who would know this person was worthy of being a starfighter. He continued to work on the script and before long it gained the attention of Gary Adelson. The Last Starfighter would be the first movie Adelson would produce and he met with a number of directors before being bound over by the enthusiasm of one Nick Castle, a fledgling director looking for his next major feature.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Born the son of famed cinematographer, Nicholas Charles Castle, Nick got into acting as a young boy, appearing as an extra in a number of films on which his father worked. It was while studying film at the USC School of Cinematic Arts that he met and became friends with fellow student John Carpenter. The duo worked together on the award winning live action short, The Resurrection of Broncho Billy. With two credits already under his belt (Broncho Billy and the earlier short Captain Voyeur) Carpenter dropped out of USC to work on his first feature, Dark Star, a sci-fi black comedy he had co-written with another classmate, Dan O'Bannon (future writer of Alien). Nick ended up with an uncredited role in Dark Star, which became a cult success thanks to it playing at numerous film festivals throughout the mid-1970s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">A few years later, while looking for someone to play The Shape (AKA Michael Myers) in Halloween, Carpenter called up Nick, paying him $25 a day to portray the infamous killer. The duo would collaborate again, this time on paper, on the script for Kurt Russell classic, Escape from New York. When he met with Gary Adelson about The Last Starfighter, Castle knew he could bring it to the screen. At the time he was working on his directorial debut, action thriller Tag: The Assassination Game, which would star Robert Carradine and a young Linda Hamilton. Castle set to work with Jonathan Betuel to shape the script further, but they soon became painfully aware of the influence George Lucas and Steven Spielberg had had on cinema in recent times. In order to limit comparisons, Castle claimed that each time they found themselves veering into Lucas/Spielberg territory, he pushed the story in the opposite direction, but even then the influence could be felt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">In one example, the original script for The Last Starfighter had hero Alex Rogan living in a suburb, but this felt too much like where E.T or Poltergeist had been set. The location was changed to a trailer park to add to Rogan's feeling of isolation. This gave the writers a chance to concentrate on the fellow residents, some of whom became an extension of Alex's family. Betuel had a few actors in mind for some of the characters, and that too would influence the script. With Star Wars and its sequel being such big hits, science fiction was everywhere, and all the studios wanted their own vehicle. The Last Starfighter went a step further - not only did it have the science fiction angle covered, but videogames, which were becoming more popular by the minute, featured prominently. With a $21M budget attached courtesy of Lorimar Productions, Castle could begin pre-production and casting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">There were four central roles to cast in the picture, Alex Rogan and his girlfriend Maggie, along with Centauri, the game's inventor and Grig, a starfighter navigator. Once again, it would be John Carpenter's influence that would help cast at least two of those roles. Acting as producer on Halloween 2, Carpenter was in the editing suite when Castle dropped by and noticed a young Lance Guest on screen. Being impressed by what he saw, he made sure Guest tested for the role. The Halloween sequel was Guest's first major screen role, having made his acting debut earlier the same year with a bit part in Dallas. He followed this up with an after-school special (Please Don't Hit me, Mom) and a spot on TV show Lou Grant, a spin-off for a character who had appeared on the Mary Tyler Moore show. He went on to play the role of Jimmy in the Halloween sequel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">As for Maggie, that went to Catherine Mary Stewart a dancer turned actress who made her debut in sci-fi musical, The Apple, while studying in London. After returning to the United States, she won a recurring role on daytime soap, Days of Our Lives, a stint which would last two years. Screen-testing for the position of Maggie, she found herself paired with Lance Guest, with who all concerned felt she had a ready chemistry. That, combined with her girl next door qualities meant she won the role over other actresses, which included Ally Sheedy and Jennifer Jason Leigh (Guest was said to have beaten Eric Stoltz to the role of Alex)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Back when he was still writing the script, Betuel had an actor in mind for the key role of Centauri, the inventor of the Starfighter arcade machine and someone who had the qualities and mannerisms of a fast-talking conman. When he mentioned Robert Preston, Nick Castle was instantly on board with the idea and set about making it happen. By the time of the Last Starfighter, Robert Preston had long been a veteran of stage and screen, having made his debut in King of Alcatraz in 1938. He went on to work consistently throughout the next two decades, but it was his role in Meredith Wilson's The Music Man for which he became famous. The actor had originated the role on stage in 1957 to great acclaim (and a Tony award), and when it was adapted for the screen, Wilson insisted Preston reprise the role, much to the annoyance of Jack Warner who'd favoured Frank Sinatra. The Music Man character of 'Professor' Harold Hill, a con-man who tricks a town into thinking he will equip and train a marching band, had many of the traits that Betuel saw in Centauri. So perfect was he for the role that when he officially signed on board, the screenplay was refined further to highlight his performance. Post-Last Starfighter, Nick Castle would refer to it as 'one of the greatest castings of the 80s'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Finally, the role of navigator Grig went to Dan O'Herlihy, another screen veteran whose career stretched back almost as far as Robert Preston's. Herlihy began acting in the mid-1940s, and earnt an Academy Award nomination for his role in Luis Buñuel's Robinson Crusoe (1954). Over the years he worked on many film and TV shows, including recurring characters in The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Dr Kildare and Colditz. He too would have a link to John Carpenter, appearing in the third Halloween movie, Season of the Witch. As Grig, he would be buried under layers of prosthetics, limiting his normal acting abilities. As production got underway, there'd be one more Carpenter-alumni to join the fray.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Despite the leaps and bounds movie model-making had seen over the last few years, the team behind The Last Starfighter wanted to try something different. It would be production designer Ron Cobb, working with the newly formed Digital Productions, who would offer up the idea of computer generated effects over conventional model making. Cobb had gotten his first break working on Disney's Sleeping Beauty. After the film was completed, he found himself without a job and took on a number of non-film related positions before being drafted into the army. After being discharged some three years later, he became a freelance artist and cartoonist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">He also went on to create album covers and contributed some design work to John Carpenter's Dark Star. This in turn led him to working on Star Wars (Uncredited creature concepts), Alien and Raiders of the Lost Ark. He also had a hand in the first, darker version of E.T The Extra Terrestrial, and was even offered the chance to direct the picture by Steven Spielberg. However commitments to the production design on Conan the Barbarian saw him turn the offer down, allowing the famed director to extensively re-work the script and opt to helm the picture himself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Back in 1981, Cobb met John Whitney Jnr and Gary Demos, who were working on making photo-realistic computer generated imagery, a reality. So impressed was he by what he saw, Cobb joined their company, Digital Productions, and approached Nick Castle with idea of creating all of the Last Starfighter’s effects (aside from explosions and make up) on a computer. The director liked the idea and could see that if done well, it would not only be a great selling point but would impact film for years to come. Furthermore, without the need for costly model work, the production could reduce the budget from $21M to $15M. As design work and visual testing got underway, the final touches were made to the shooting script.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Given the amount of work required to encompass the makeup, pre-visual effects and day to day shooting, it's somewhat surprising that The Last Starfighter shot in just 40 days. There seems to have been little in the way of issues, though acting against things that would be added in later, proved an interesting exercise for all concerned. To aid this, real life props were built that would help the cast and crew visualize where things would be. As mentioned, Dan O'Herlihy was buried under layers of prosthetics, which limited his abilities. To counter this, the actor exaggerated his movements, which ended up enhancing his performance in the finished movie. For Guest, it was almost like working on two different pictures due to a subplot that saw his earth-bound character replaced by Beta, a robot (also played by Guest) while the real Alex travelled into space.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Work on the computer generated sequences was also well underway, with Ron Cobb supplying Digital Productions with detailed sketches of the Gunstar, the experimental fighter craft that Alex Rogan pilots in the movie. Because this was one of the first films to make extensive use of computer graphics (Tron aside), there was a real seat-of-the-pants element about it all. Early on, visual effects coordinator Jeffrey Okun sat down with Cobb, Whitney and Demos and discussed the time frames involved in getting the computer work done. They explained how they’d be creating the shots and how long it would take to render each frame. Okun worked out it would take 17 months to complete all the sequences. They had just six.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Knowing that if the effects weren't finished in time, they had no movie, Okun approached producer Gary Adelson and explained the time frame issue. He told Aldeson that he had three model companies standing by who could complete the work on time, and on budget - all the producer needed to do was fire Digital Productions. To Adelson's credit, he refused, and chastised Okun for making the suggestion. But there was no getting around the issue, there simply wasn't enough time to complete all the effects to meet the film's summer 1984 release date. A compromise was eventually reached - Digital Productions would reduce the number of polygons per frame. While this would all but remove the chance of photo realism, it also meant the picture could be finished on schedule. However, it left no room for error - if a scene didn't render correctly, they either had to scrap it or use it - there was no time to begin again. This goes some way to explaining why some sequences don’t look as impressive as others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Over time the company perfected quicker code and found a number of shortcuts. They also discovered that the compromise in polygons could be disguised somewhat when they began to add colour to the surfaces of the wire frame models they had created. With over 70 billion colours to choose from, they could create shadows, dents and blemishes, giving the effects a worldlier, realistic feel. They worked day and night, often sleeping around the Cray X-MP super computer that was producing the final shots. The finished version of the Gunstar, whose data took three months to put into the computer, was made up of over 750,000 polygons and is arguably the highlight of the film's impressive computer generated imagery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Back in the real world, Nick Castle had quickly assembled a rough cut of the movie to screen for preview audiences. The reaction was very positive, especially to the earth-bound Beta unit sequences, which added some much needed comic relief. The studio were pleased enough to allow Castle to re-assemble the cast and crew and shoot some additional Beta scenes. The problem was that since production had ended some four months ago, Lance Guest had had his curly hair cut, resulting in the actor having to wear an ill-fitting wig in the new footage. He was also under the weather when filming took place, requiring a lot of make up to ensure he looked like the character in the original scenes. As fans of the film can attest, the wig and make up didn't always convince.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">As the race to the finish line picked up pace, production company Lorimar became involved with Atari, with a view to create an arcade machine based on the one seen in the film, along with home versions for their console and computer range. Promotional work got underway too, with the standard trailer highlighting the film's impressive effects work. Lance Guest, Catherine Mary Stewart and Nick Castle all hit the promotional trail as the release date approached. Reviews for The Last Starfighter were positive enough, and it sits with a 76% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert awarded it two and half stars, while Gene Siskel described it as a 'Star Wars rip off, but the best one'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">In terms of summer releases, 1984 contained some of the biggest of the entire decade. Just a casual look reveals such classics as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Gremlins, Ghostbusters, The Karate Kid and Star Trek III. Even though The Last Starfighter would open against only one new release (Muppets Take Manhattan), the earlier summer movies were still a very real threat - Ghostbusters and Gremlins had ruled the top two places for the previous five weekends and showed little sign of cracking. While it had the visuals, it didn't have the major stars to promote the movie on talk shows and the like, setting it at something of a disadvantage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Sadly, The Last Starfighter never really got the chance to shine. Despite a decent enough opening weekend of $6M, it couldn't cope with the existing competition. Ghostbusters and Gremlins clocked up their sixth weekend in first and second place respectively. A week later Best Defence and The Never Ending Story opened, pushing The Last Starfighter down to sixth place. By weekend three, it was gone from the top ten altogether, having made $16.5M in total. The studio had quickly decided to cut it losses, slashing more than 400 screens in that third weekend. A fortnight later it had cleared $21M, and would end up making $28M by the end of its theatrical run. Not a failure as such given its $15M budget, but some way short of what Universal (and Lorimar) had hoped to see. Talk of a sequel quickly evaporated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Like many films of the time, The Last Starfighter came into its own on video, where it enjoyed a long and successful run, becoming one of the many cult hits of the 1980s. The Atari-made arcade machine never came to fruition due to the fact it would have needed to sell at $10,000 per unit to break even - a figure deemed too high at the time. Similarly, the console game never materialised, though the home computer version did appear some time later, retooled as Star Raiders II. Bizarrely, a version for the Nintendo Entertainment System appeared in 1990, but this ended up being a modified version of the Commodore 64 classic, Uridium.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Lance Guest would go on to appear in Jaws: The Revenge, before moving back to TV with Knots Landing and Life Goes On. He continued to act in both mediums throughout the 1990s. Of late he has made a name for himself portraying Johnny Cash in the long running stage production of Million Dollar Quartet. Catherine Mary Stewart followed up the film with another science fiction tale, Night of the Comet. She also saw success in the late 80s opposite Andrew McCarthy in Weekend at Bernie's. Stewart would appear in a number of TV shows and TV movies over the years, but pulled back from acting in the 1990s to concentrate on raising a family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Sadly, The Last Starfighter marked the final theatrical appearance for Robert Preston, who passed away in 1987. He left behind a huge body of work and his performance in the movie is still cited by many as a highlight. Dan O'Herlihy worked throughout the 80s and well into the late 1990s, and gave a memorable turn as 'the old man' in Robocop. As for Nick Castle, he continued to work as both a director and screenplay writer. He directed the adaptation of Dennis the Menace, along with Major Payne and Mr. Wrong, while supplying the screenplay for Steven Speilberg's Hook. He also contributed to the soundtrack of the John Carpenter picture, Big Trouble in Little China.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">The legacy of The Last Starfighter didn't end with the film's release. A novel and comic book adaptation were also produced, as was a 2004 off-Broadway musical. Over the years, news of a sequel would surface with regularity. In a 2012 interview with website Popcultureaddict, Lance Guest said he'd talked with the studio about a sequel not long after the original’s release, but they viewed its performance as a disappointment and didn't pursue it any further. In 2008 GPA Entertainment added 'Starfighter' to its list of upcoming projects, describing it as 'The sequel to the classic motion picture Last Starfighter'. Little progress appears to have been made beyond that point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Yet stories of a remake persist. The picture was once again in the news in November 2014 when movie website /film posted a link to a re-edited version of the trailer. Things took an almost incredulous turn shortly after when it was revealed by the website's Peter Sciretta that he had heard Seth Rogen had been pursuing the sequel/remake rights for years, to no avail. Rogen himself entered into the conversation and confessed that not even Steven Spielberg had been able to secure the rights - something the director had apparently tried to do after hearing about the problems the actor had ran into. In the aftermath of this story it came to light that Jonathan Betuel still retained the rights to the movie (and presumably any sequel/remake) and flat out refused to sell them to anyone. Chances are, if someone like Steven Spielberg cannot secure them, there is little hope of a new Starfighter in the foreseeable future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Looking back on the film, it's easy to see why so many people took it to heart. Its theme of a lonely isolated teenager finding success via videogames resonated with many at the time - and still does. The leads have great chemistry, and the space battles are nicely contrasted with the comedic sequences of the Beta unit attempting to pass itself off as Alex. It is something of an oddity in that it rarely gets mentioned in the same breath as other 80s classics, yet remains a much loved film by those who know it. While its visual effects haven't quite stood the test of time, one can see why they were viewed as being ground breaking upon the film’s release - Tron aside, there was simply nothing like it anywhere else. It proved that computer generated effects could work and created a path that many, many others would follow. It may be one of the lesser movies of the 1980s, but The Last Starfighter can easily be counted amongst the best of them.</span></div>
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Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-63160678045591948302014-11-22T22:33:00.003-08:002015-02-08T02:18:04.290-08:0080 From the 80s - Mannequin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITnXAZ7rMFtytS5YIdBoP9sJNB76scH_J8bvqp0FVfKUXxVwdfY7ouTtJr_2VuMtqw7UsQnV3-aKwA9xseJ0dp_bxqEfuyMxZOYlHzL6ibc67YeGXmjFzgCOEAHTdElvs34E02yC2Kto/s1600/Mannequin_movie_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITnXAZ7rMFtytS5YIdBoP9sJNB76scH_J8bvqp0FVfKUXxVwdfY7ouTtJr_2VuMtqw7UsQnV3-aKwA9xseJ0dp_bxqEfuyMxZOYlHzL6ibc67YeGXmjFzgCOEAHTdElvs34E02yC2Kto/s1600/Mannequin_movie_poster.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></div>
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Mannequin</div>
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When she comes to life, anything can happen!</div>
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Studio: Fox :::::::::: Release Date: 13th February 1987</div>
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Director: Mike Gottlieb :::::::::: Starring: Andrew McCarthy, Kim Cattrall</div>
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Budget: $7.9M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $16.6M</div>
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U.S Box Office: $42.7M :::::::::: 2015 Equivalent: $90M</div>
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">In one of his many jobs, failed artist Jonathan Switcher creates the perfect mannequin. Fired yet again, he later sees his creation in a shop window and sets about getting a job at the store. Much to Jonathan's amazement, he discovers that when he is alone with the mannequin, she comes to life. But the path of true love is never a smooth one, and soon the duo are dealing with an obsessed night watchman, a hostile takeover and Jonathan’s colleagues, who are getting concerned with him talking to a shop dummy....</em><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">On the surface, Mannequin seems like any other romantic comedy, albeit with a somewhat original start point for the central couple. However, if one delved a little deeper, they'd find that the movie was cleverly constructed with the help of one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. He wasn't a studio head or a hot-shot producer, in fact Mannequin was the first feature he'd ever put his name to, and all but the last, yet his influence could not be underestimated. Loved by executives but loathed by directors, that man was Joseph Farrell. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">According to director Mike Gottlieb (brother of Jaws screenwriter Carl) he got the idea for the film when he was walking past a shop window and a trick of the light made it look as though a store dummy had moved. Inspired by this, he teamed up with Edward Rugoff to write the first draft on what would become known as Mannequin. A number of observers have also noted the film's similarity to the 1948 Ava Gardener picture One Touch of Venus. Gottlieb had started his career as an assistant on film and photo shoots, before becoming a successful fashion photographer in his own right. From there he graduated to creating Clio award-winning commercials for the likes of Xerox and Coca-Cola. It was only a short step to becoming a feature director. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Gottlieb's idea was a simple one - have a down on his luck guy fall in love with a store mannequin who comes to life whenever he (and only he) is around. Originally the lead role was written as a much older character who would be the store caretaker. The duo had in mind Dudley Moore for the role, but that would change in the next draft of the script. Work continued with Gottlieb planning to make Mannequin his feature directorial debut. This would be 1986 and around the time Joseph Farrell became involved. As already mentioned, Farrell had no experience in film or film production, but his knowledge was sought by many a studio during the 1980s and 90s. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Joseph Farrell was born in New York on September 11th 1935. He studied sculpture at the University of Notre Dame and graduated from Harvard with a law degree. He continued to work in both law and the arts throughout the early part of his career, holding a number of positions including chief operating officer of the American Council of Arts. In 1976 he was hired by polling firm Lewis Harris to open an office on the west coast, and it was there he began to apply research practices from other areas, to the movie industry. Two years later, with business partner Catherina Paura he founded NRG - the National Research Group. Initially the pair conducted research themselves, polling cinema-goers in car parks as they emerged from screenings and even going so far as to bribe children with ice cream to get their thoughts on the feature they'd just seen. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Over time the company built up its research database and refined its processes. While NRG didn't invent the pre-release screening process, they did extensively re-shape it, and the use of focus groups. They began to provide studios with invaluable demographic studies and tracking analysis, which in turn helped them decide how and to whom they would promote their movies. As budgets rose, Hollywood began to rely more and more on Farrell and NRG, going so far as to allow them to dictate trailer content and placement, release dates and advertising campaigns. The company even found a way of dividing up audiences into 'demographic quadrants' - men and women under and over twenty five years of age. A film that skewed all groups became known as a four quadrant movie, seen by many as the closest thing to a sure fire hit. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Studios by and large loved Farrell and NRG. Paramount Pictures directly credit him for helping Fatal Attraction become a smash hit in the autumn of 1987. When test audiences disliked the original ending in which Glenn Close takes her own life, Farrell convinced the studio to re-shoot the finale that would see the character get her just desserts. The result was a $320M global hit. He stated, rightly it would seem in this case, that no matter how good a movie was, if the audience hated the ending, it was that that they would take away with them - and tell their friends about. Directors argued that by giving the audience exactly what they had asked for, they lost the ability to confound them, and in the long term it would make pictures too similar and predictable. Hollywood didn't seem to care about that aspect, especially when budgets began to approach upwards of $50M - they'd take safety, predictability and success over risk.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">It's unclear why Farrell decided to become involved in Mannequin, though some speculate it was a case of putting his money where his mouth was. If he was so good at advising studios how to market their movies, could they yield bigger success by having him enter the frame earlier? On Mannequin, they would find out. Gottlieb and Rugoff's script was now all but finished, with the central character remaining as the older caretaker figure. Farrell worked out that a younger man in a similar role would better appeal to the female target demographic. However, he also realised that the budget couldn't sustain a major actor being cast. For this reason, the production opted for a recognisable actor, but one who was arguably not a star - someone whose name alone could not open a film. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">For the lead role of Jonathan Switcher, Andrew McCarthy was cast. McCarthy made his movie debut opposite Rob Lowe in the 1983 college comedy, Class. The picture was a minor hit and led to the young actor being cast, again with Lowe, in the 1985 brat pack comedy-drama, St Elmo's Fire. McCarthy then starred opposite Molly Ringwald in John Hughes' Pretty in Pink - cementing his status as the good-guy boyfriend. Prior to McCarthy's casting, Farrell held a number of test screenings and proved the actor appealed strongly to the primary target audience. He was a recognisable and dependable safe bet for the lead role in Mannequin. As for the role of Emmy, that went to Kim Cattrall, an actress whose first role was in Otto Preminger's Rosebud in 1975. For the next few years she'd dabbled mainly in TV, and then appeared as part of the ensemble cast of adult comedy Porky's, a smash hit in 1982. She scored another hit with Police Academy and starred opposite Timothy Hutton in comedy-drama, Turk 182! When the role of Emmy came up, she was working on John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Like McCarthy, Cattrall was cast because she was a popular actress who had a broad appeal - without breaking the bank. She'd proved she could handle comedy and was seen as someone who would attract the male demographic. Farrell knew that getting in the female audience was a good start, but if he could get them to bring their boyfriends and husbands, he'd have a hit on his hands. Estelle Getty, who was riding high on the success of TV show The Golden Girls, would play store owner Claire Timkin - giving the picture another recognisable face. As antagonists, Kim Cattrall's Police Academy co-star G.W Bailey was cast, along side James Spader, who McCarthy had worked with on Pretty in Pink (The duo would team up again in the same year for Less Than Zero). Two further notable roles went to Carole Davis as Switcher's ex-girlfriend Roxie, and Meshach Taylor as the flamboyant (and memorable) Hollywood Montrose.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">With a budget of $7.9M in place, filming commenced in the summer of 1986, with the production shooting in actual stores in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Things went smoothly enough, and Farrell soon began to plan out the advertising campaign, along with a proposed release date that would give the film maximum exposure with the minimum of competition. In hindsight, the summer of 1987 wasn't actually that busy, but the studio were taking no chances and opted for the most obvious release date for a romantic comedy – Valentine’s weekend. Reviews were poor to say the least. Siskel & Ebert gave it two thumbs down; Leonard Maltin savaged it while Washington Post's Rita Kempley described the picture as being "made by, for, and about dummies." Farrell and the studio weren't after critical favour or awards, they wanted box office. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">The film would go head to head with Over the Top, which was expected to be Sylvester Stallone's fourth hit in a row after Rambo: First Blood Part 2, Rocky IV and Cobra. Comedy Outrageous Fortune was still riding high too, having opened well two weeks previously. Platoon would be expanding, and was expected to keep tight hold on the no.1 spot. Oliver Stone's Vietnam War epic had opened back in December 1986 and slowly crept up the charts as more and more screens were added and word of mouth spread. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Opening on February 13th at 938 locations, Mannequin got off to a great start, recouping most of its budget within its first three days. While it had to settle for third place, it beat out Over the Top by almost a million dollars and was only $300K shy of besting Outrageous Fortune. The picture added $1M during the week and had moved up into second place by the following weekend, when it made another $5M (a drop of just 16% on its opening frame). It seemed that Farrell's calculations were paying off. In weekend three it faced fresh competition in the guise of romantic drama Some Kind of Wonderful, but still managed to clear $4M. At the end of its first full month on general release, Mannequin had surpassed the $20M mark and was showing little sign of slowing down. Thanks to MTV's heavy rotation of the Starship track, Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now (which played over the end sequence), the film was kept firmly in the public eye. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">As time wore on, the new releases managed to push the picture down to ninth place, but a week later it moved back up the chart, and spent a further fortnight in the top ten. All told, Mannequin earnt $42.7M at the domestic box office against a budget of $7.9M. It may not have been one of the biggest hits of 1987, but it was easily one of the most profitable. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now became a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and was nominated for an Academy Award the following year. The film went on to enjoy a healthy run on video too and gained something of a following over the years. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">A sequel, Mannequin Two: On the Move was released in 1991. The story would begin with a princess being turned into a wooden mannequin. 1000 years later her curse is lifted by shop assistant Jason Williamson (himself a reincarnation of the princess' original love). The picture was written by David Isaacs and Ken Levine, who'd carried out uncredited work on the first movie. Of the original cast, only Meshach Taylor's Hollywood Montrose would return. Mannequin Two failed to make an impact at the box office, earning only $4M against a budget of $13M.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Joseph Farrell and NRG continued to supply Hollywood with all manner of information. As film became an even bigger business during the 1990s, his work, and that of similar companies, became even more valuable to studios. It was rumoured that for a period of time, there wasn't a Disney release that he hadn't had an influence on. The rise of the internet allowed many more people to be surveyed on their thoughts and awareness of a particular movie, and opened up new windows of opportunity. Farrell sold NRG in 2003 and with his original business partner, Catherine Paura, set up his own production company. He passed away in 2011, a year before the release of their first feature, Joyful Noise. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Andrew McCarthy enjoyed further success in the 1980s with Weekend at Bernie's but like other brat pack members, moved away from the mainstream in the next decade. He would work consistently on smaller films and TV, going on to become an award winning travel writer, as well as a successful TV director on shows such as Orange is the New Black and Gossip Girls. Kim Cattrall would appear in a number of features over the years, including Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country in 1991. However, it was the role of Samantha Jones in the long running TV show Sex and the City that brought her global fame. She would reprise the character for two hugely successful films, first in 2008 and again in 2010.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Mannequin still retains a certain charm, though its highlight on fashion ages the film more than many of it contemporaries. McCarthy and Cattrall's chemistry works well, with the supporting cast adding their own unique touches. It's debatable how much of the film’s success was down to Joseph Farrell, but his influence on the picture (and many others) cannot be denied. While his methods may have been condemned by some, they also shaped many of Hollywood's biggest hits, and continue to do so to this day. </span>Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-20872880305492590442014-11-15T01:57:00.003-08:002015-02-08T02:10:59.471-08:0080 From the 80s - Romancing the Stone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Romancing the Stone</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> She's a girl from the big city. He's a reckless soldier of fortune. For a fabulous treasure, they share an adventure no one could imagine... or survive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Studio: 20th Century Fox Release Date: 30th March 1984</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Director: Robert Zemeckis Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget: $10M 2015 Equivalent: $23M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">U.S Box Office: $76.5M 2015 Equivalent: $175.9M</span></div>
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<em>Joan Wilder is a timid, lonely romance novelist, but a panicked phone call thrusts her into a deadly South American adventure. Teaming up with smuggler Jack Carlton, she has to contend with all manner of dangers while trying to recover a fabled jewel and save her sister. She'll have the story of a lifetime, if she lives long enough to tell the tale.</em></div>
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<span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;">A director being fired from a movie is a rare occurrence. One being fired from a future project because their current one is so bad, that's something of a one-off. Yet that's exactly what happened to Robert Zemeckis while working on action-adventure Romancing the Stone. The film was a gamble for all involved, but for Zemeckis, it was make or break; failure would signify the end of his short Hollywood career. In the latter half of 1983, the situation wasn't looking good.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: tahoma, geneva, sans-serif;">Romancing the Stone was written by Diane Thomas, a would-be screenwriter who was working as a waitress to make ends. In true Hollywood fashion, the tale goes that Michael Douglas came into her place of work to eat and Thomas pitched the idea to him. Impressed, Douglas is said to have about purchased the script for $250,000. In reality, Thomas completed the script and sent it to her agent, who sold it to the actor some time later. Despite the comparisons Romancing the Stone would face with Raiders of the Lost Ark, the script actually pre-dates Spielberg's classic by two years.<br /><br />At that point, Michael Douglas had a production deal with Columbia Pictures and planned to produce the film with them, as well as taking on the lead role. The studio was against the idea and wanted a much bigger name, such as Sylvester Stallone or Christopher Reeve. It's worth noting that back in the early 1980s, Michael Douglas wasn't seen as movie star material. The son of famed actor Kirk, Michael had got his first break in a CBS TV playhouse production in 1969. In that same year he appeared in the movie Hail, Hero! for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Male Newcomer. Other film roles followed, but his next big break came via TV, when he took on the part of Steve Keller in police drama The Streets of San Francisco. He would stay with the show for four years, departing in 1976.<br /><br />It was during this time that Kirk handed Michael the rights to One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. Douglas Snr. had secured them back in the earlier 1960s and had appeared opposite Gene Wilder in a stage adaptation that ran for six months, to mostly negative reviews. Michael teamed up with producer Saul Zaentz with a view to bringing the book to the big screen. Kirk Douglas hoped to reprise the role of Randle McMurphy but was deemed too old for the role by his son. Instead, Jack Nicholson took on the lead, and the $4.4M picture became a sensation, making almost $300M during its lifetime. It was the seventh most successful movie ever made at the time and ended up being nominated for nine academy awards, winning the 'big five' - Best Film, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay.<br /><br />While the financial success and award wins were impressive, Michael struggled as an actor once he departed The Streets of San Francisco. He appeared in Michael Crichton's Coma in 1978, and played a supporting role a year later in The China Syndrome, a movie which he also produced. Still, Columbia weren't interested in making Romancing the Stone with Douglas as the lead - though they appeared to have no issue with him acting as producer. When he moved his production deal to 20th Century Fox, the script came with him. Much to his annoyance one assumes, Fox didn't want Douglas as the lead either, and offered the role to both Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, neither of whom was interested. Eventually the studio relented, and Romancing the Stone found its Jack Colton.<br /><br />Diane Thomas' screenplay still needed some work, and at least three unnamed script doctors helped knock it into shape. In the meantime, she had completed a new script entitled Blonde Hurricane, and rumour has it, was working on a draft of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Meanwhile Fox set aside a budget of $10M for Romancing the Stone, and like everyone in Hollywood at the time, hoped they'd found their own 'Raiders'. However, even at that early stage, the knives were out and many studio executives had the movie pegged as flop material. Douglas pushed on and set about hiring a director and female lead, both of which would end up being very interesting choices.<br /><br />Douglas was initially interested in Debra Winger for the role of Joan Wilder. Views differ on why Winger wasn't cast, with the studio line being that she wasn't glamourous or athletic enough. The actress was already gaining a reputation for being somewhat difficult to work with - she'd refused to promote An Officer and a Gentleman (a role which arguably put her on the map) and had been dismissive of directors and actors with whom she had worked. A further, more bizarre reason emerged in 2008, when Kathleen Turner stated in her memoirs that Winger had lost the role when she bit Michael Douglas during a dinner the actor had organised to discuss the part. For what ever reason it ended up being, Debra Winger was off the list. The studio favoured newcomer Kathleen Turner, who had burnt up the screen with her first major role, that of Matty Tyler Walker in the 1981 noir thriller, Body Heat. She also gained notice for her work opposite Steve Martin in The Man with Two Brains. Turner and Douglas would prove to have a ready chemistry, which legend has it, spilt over into real life during the film's production.<br /><br />For what was essentially the films only other major role, that of the kidnapper Ralph, Douglas chose to cast Danny DeVito, someone who he had known for many years, and had lived with when the pair were struggling actors in the 1960s. DeVito had played Martini in the stage adaptation of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, a role he reprised in the film adaptation. While the actor had appeared on screen before, it was his part in Cuckoo's Nest that brought him attention. The recurring role of Louie De Palma in the sitcom Taxi made him a household name in the early 1980s. The remainder of the cast included Manael Ojeda as the villainous Zolo and Zack Norman as Ralph's partner, Ira. Directing the picture, which would shoot on location in Mexico after real-life kidnappings became prevalent in Columbia, was Robert Zemeckis.<br /><br />Robert Zemeckis got his start in film like many other directors - making 8mm movies with his parent's camera. He wasn't even aware that film schools existed until he heard one mentioned on an episode of The Tonight Show. His desire to make movies grew further after seeing Bonnie & Clyde, and he set about applying to the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. Submitting an entrance essay and a music video based on a Beatles record, Zemeckis was disheartened to discover his average grades had gotten him rejected. Determined not to give up, he made a promise to attend summer school and work on improving if USC would accept him, which they eventually did.<br /><br />It was while attending film school that he met writer Bob Gale. Like the wannabe director, Gale was more interested in working on mainstream movies as opposed to the arthouse fare that many of their contemporaries favoured. Remaining true to his word, Zemeckis worked and studied hard, and graduated USC in 1973, winning a Student Academy Award for A Field of Honor. At around the same time, Zemeckis met Steven Spielberg when the latter screened Sugarland Express for USC students. Approaching the director afterwards, Zemeckis urged him to watch A Field of Honor, and set up a screening at Universal for him to do so. Spielberg was impressed with what he saw, and the two stayed in touch. Later, John Milius would approach Zemeckis and Gale, with a view to them writing 1941. When the script was complete, Spielberg committed to direct and the duo visited the set of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, spending the evenings re-writing 1941's screenplay. In the meantime, Spielberg offered to executively produce Zemeckis' first major picture, a story he had co-written with Bob Gale entitled I Wanna Hold Your Hand.<br /><br />Universal put up a budget of $2.8M, on the proviso that if Zemeckis looked to be making a mess of things, Spielberg himself would step in to take over. I Wanna Hold Your Hand was a fictionalised account of the day The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and while critics and preview audiences were impressed, the general public gave it a wide berth. As a result, the film failed to recoup its budget. Spielberg moved forward on 1941 and as is well documented, it became his first major failure, though it wasn't the flop that history would lead one to believe. Coming off back to back hits with Jaws and Close Encounters, the studio had simply expected a much bigger return on 1941. Zemeckis and Gale worked on their next script, Used Cars, a comedy that would end up starring Kurt Russell. Spielberg and John Milius executively produced the picture but like 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand', it reviewed well yet failed at the box office.<br /><br />Zemeckis was now two for two and was gaining a reputation as a great writer whose work didn't translate to the screen. The writing duo began work on a new screenplay, a time travel tale about a high school student who finds himself transported back to 1955. Every major studio rejected it, including Columbia Pictures, who felt the story wasn't sexual enough - something that the current spate of teen comedies had in abundance. Zemeckis was offered other similar work, but none of it interested him, and by 1983, he began adapting David Saperstein's book Cocoon, with a view to directing it himself.<br /><br /> When Michael Douglas named Robert Zemeckis as the man he wanted to direct Romancing the Stone, 20th Century Fox balked, arguing that the director had already made two flops and they didn't intend to fund a third (this despite the fact they were entertaining the idea of him directing Cocoon for them). But Douglas stuck to his guns; he'd seen a style in 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' that he wanted on Romancing the Stone. Douglas also played up the fact that Zemeckis hadn't been responsible for the script, like he had been on his previous two failures. And so it was, that Robert Zemeckis signed up for Romancing the Stone purely as a director for hire.<br /><br />Shooting got underway in Mexico, and while all appeared to go smoothly, Turner would later confess to clashing terribly with Zemeckis, who she saw as a typical film school graduate - more concerned with cameras and angles as opposed to what the actors had to do to make the shots work. For his part, the director felt the script contained a number of good elements, but that the story didn't bear them out, and it would be up to him to pull it together to make the climax work. He was also instrumental in casting Alfonsa Arau as Juan, having worked with the actor on Used Cars. In the background, Zemeckis continued work on Cocoon. With Fox still jittery, a rough cut was hastily assembled once shooting was completed and a screening arranged.<br /><br />It was a disaster. The studio, which had never been sure of the picture or its director in the first place, hated it, and prepared for the worst come its release. So bad did the screening go that Fox fired Zemeckis from Cocoon, despite him having spent a year developing it. With the power of hindsight, it was the best thing that ever happened to his career, but at that point, he must have assumed his time in Hollywood was truly over. The concerned director worked towards finishing up the picture in time for its March 1984 release. In an interesting aside, the film's temporary soundtrack, composed by Alan Silvestri, so impressed Zemeckis that he opted to keep it in the film. Silvestri went on to score every picture the director has made since.<br /><br />20th Century Fox decided to open the film at the end of March, keeping it clear of much of the summer's competition, which would include Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom, Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock and Ghostbusters. The first sign that things weren't as bad as suspected came with the reviews, which were surprisingly positive, citing Douglas and Turner's on screen chemistry as one of the film's many strong points. While some were quick to dismiss it as yet another Raiders knock-off, the good reviews easily outweighed the bad. The picture currently holds an 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. March 30th would see Romancing the Stone open opposite Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, while having to contend with Police Academy, which had already made over $8M during its first three days. Splash and Footloose, while looking a little long in the tooth, would also still offer very real competition.<br /><br />Opening at just over 800 locations, Romancing the Stone got off to a solid enough start, making $5.1M over its first three days. While it had to settle for fourth place, that first weekend was encouraging and allowed both the studio and Zemeckis a small sigh of relief. A week later the film actually moved up the chart and increased its weekend to weekend takings by 9% - recouping its budget in the process. Before the start of its third frame on release, it had already made more than Zemeckis' previous two films combined. Fox were no longer concerned with failure; rather they wondered how high the picture could go. By now it was out to over 1,000 locations, and word of mouth was white hot. By the end of its fifth weekend it had made more than $34M.<br /><br />Romancing the Stone would remain in the top ten for an astonishing eleven weeks, never seeing a bigger fall in weekend to weekend takings than 30% (and that was due more to it giving up screens to newer releases). It would face down the aforementioned summer blockbusters, and many more besides. All up the film remained in theatres for 16 weeks, closing with an incredible $76.5M. It went on to become the eighth most successful film of 1984, and also made a number of 'best of' lists. It enjoyed great success on the burgeoning home video market too. In something of surprise, Turner won a Golden Globe for her work on the film (she would go on to win another for Prizzi's Honor).<br /><br />Fox immediately set about commissioning a sequel, The Jewel in the Nile, tentatively planning its release for the winter of 1985. Despite Romancing the Stone's huge success, not everyone was interested in making a follow up. With the attention and acclaim the film had bought him, Robert Zemeckis was able to move forward on his time travel script, which would become known as Back to the Future. All three lead actors were contractually obligated to return for the sequel, though Douglas and Turner felt they should quit while they were ahead. Turner attempted to back out of the film during pre-production, but Fox threatened to sue her for $25M if she proceeded. In the directors chair for the sequel was Lewis Teague, best known at that point for directing the Stephen King adaptation, Cujo.<br /><br />The Jewel of the Nile would go on to be almost as successful as its predecessor (it made $75M at the domestic box office) though it didn't score as favourably with critics. In a sad note, Romancing the Stone writer Diane Thomas was killed in a car crash just months before Jewel's release. While she didn't contribute to the script (apart from the creation of the original characters) the film is dedicated to her memory.<br /><br />A second sequel was said to be in development, but work on The Crimson Eagle didn't progress far. It was rumoured to take place a number of years after Jewel, and would see Joan and Jack in Thailand with their teenage children, forced to recover a priceless statue. In the mid-2000s, Michael Douglas began developing a new sequel, said to be titled Racing the Moon, but little has been heard of the project since 2007.<br /><br />After Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile, the three leads would reunite in 1989 for the unrelated movie, The War of the Roses. Danny DeVito would both direct and co-star, while Turner and Douglas played a warring, divorce-bound couple. The picture was a huge success, taking over $160M at the global box office. Prior to Roses, Douglas would give a legendary (and Oscar winning) turn as Gordon Gecko in Oliver Stone's Wall Street. He also saw major success with Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct. He has continued to produce movies and act across many genres to this day - including his latest turn in Marvel's Ant-Man.<br /><br />Aside from Prizzi's Honor, Kathleen Turner starred opposite Nicolas Cage in Peggy Sue Got Married in 1986 for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. She later re-teamed with Zemeckis to provide the sultry voice of Jessica Rabbit in the 1988 smash hit, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Some poor career choices (turning down Ghost and The Bridges of Madison County) and notable failures (V.I Warshawski) stalled her career in the early 1990s. The onset of rheumatoid arthritis confined her to a wheelchair for some time and made working difficult. However thanks to medical advances in the latter part of the decade, she went into remission and began to slowly rebuild both her health and career. In recent years she has favoured the stage over the screen, and also gave a memorable turn as Chandler's father in the TV sitcom, Friends.<br /><br />Danny DeVito appeared in a series of very successful comedies during the remainder of the 1980s, including Ruthless People and Twins. He'd made his directorial debut on the 1984 TV movie The Ratings Game, and returned to the chair for Throw Momma from the Train (1987), The War of the Roses (1989) and Hoffa (1992). He would continue to take on acting and directing work throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, winning acclaim for his work on Matilda (as director and actor) and L.A Confidential. He can currently be seen in the hugely successful sitcom, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.<br /><br />As for Robert Zemeckis, getting fired from Cocoon did indeed turn out to be the best thing that could have possibly happened. He would go on to see massive success with the Back to the Future trilogy, along with the stunning technical achievement that was Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He would win an Academy Award for his work on Forrest Gump in 1994, and continued to have major mainstream success for the rest of the decade and well into the next. After three ground-breaking motion capture films (Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol) Zemeckis returned to live action with 2012's Flight. At the time of writing, he is in post-production on The Walk. With an impressive body of work, Robert Zemeckis is the fourth biggest director in cinematic history, whose films have grossed over $4 billion dollars.<br /><br />Romancing the Stone is still a great action comedy, mainly due to the strength and chemistry of its leads. Because the film didn't concentrate on special effects, it has aged remarkably well, and while considered by some to a poorer, somewhat forgotten cousin to Indiana Jones, it still stands up as an enjoyable thrill ride.</span></div>
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Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-36602991415828217952014-11-07T21:21:00.001-08:002015-02-08T01:59:37.815-08:0080 From the 80s - Wargames<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wargames</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it a game, or is it real?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Studio: United Artists/MGM Release Date: 6th June 1983</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Director: John Badham Starring: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budget: $12M 2015 Equivalent: $28.6M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">U.S Box Office: $79.5M 2015 Equivalent: $189.8M</span></div>
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<em style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">David Lightman is curious to play a series of new computer games, and sets about hacking into the company's system. However, unbeknownst to him, he's actually found his way into a US military war simulator and he's about to discover that this is one game that could turn very deadly - for everyone. </em><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />For the modern audience, it's perhaps a little baffling to see how prevalent the threat of nuclear war was back in the early 1980s. With Ronald Reagan in power, the Russians and Americans pursued a game of nuclear one-upmanship, whose effects quickly spread to all facets of life. People became survivalists, built fallout shelters and campaigned to 'Ban the Bomb'. Never one to miss a trick, Hollywood was quick to use the nuclear threat as the central device in a number of projects. Initially the focus was on the dangers of nuclear power, with 1979's The China Syndrome being among the first. The Jack Lemmon/Jane Fonda picture opened just twelve days before the nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island proved the dangers were all too real.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />As fear grew, TV events The Day After and Threads showed the devastating aftermath of a nuclear holocaust on small groups of the general populace. Red Dawn went one step further, featuring a Russian-led invasion of America; with nuclear weapons decimating the bigger cities, high school students of one small town made a stand against the invading armies. World War Three seemed only a button press away.<br /><br />Despite the central threat of Global Thermonuclear War, the 1983 release Wargames began life as quite a different picture. Conceived in the late seventies by screenwriters Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes, the story was known as The Genius, a drama featuring a dying scientist named Falken and a troubled, yet brilliant teenager onto whom he hopes to pass all his knowledge. Computers didn't yet feature in the story, but that changed when the duo met Peter Schwartz and David Scott Lewis. Schwartz worked at the Stanford Research Institute and introduced Lasker and Parkes to the growing culture of hackers and hacking. He also highlighted the link between computers, gaming and the military.<br /><br />This was further cemented during a meeting with hacker David Scott Lewis in early 1979, who would go on to be the primary inspiration for David Lightman, the lead character in the story. Lewis claims that even at that early stage, much of the scientist/protégée aspect was absent from the story, and that part of the plot featured a space-based laser defence system not unlike the Star Wars program Ronald Reagan would unveil a few years later. The script went through several incarnations and along the way moved from being known as The Genius to Wargames. The central premise, that of a hacker who almost triggers a nuclear war, began to take shape.<br /><br />The military aspect of the story became clearer too. While researching ideas for their 'war room' Lasker and Parkes met another person who would have an influence on the script. Having coerced their way onto a tour of a military defence nerve centre (located under Cheyenne Mountain) the pair met James Hartinger, then commander of NORAD. Interested in their script, Hartinger arranged to meet them off base. He was very much in favour of one of the core aspects of the story, that computers were taking too much responsibility out of people's hands.<br /><br />Despite the fact that the script had dropped the central idea of Falken being a brilliant but doomed scientist, the character still featured. Lasker later stated during an interview with Wired that Falken had been based loosely on Stephen Hawking - especially during the initial stages. The idea that a man could hold all this knowledge and might never get the chance to pass it on, intrigued him. In his mind, Lasker pictured John Lennon playing the character, and at one point received word from music producer David Geffen that Lennon was interested in the role. Sadly, while working on the second draft (in which Falken was now an astrophysicist), the scriptwriter received a phone call informing him that Lennon had been shot and killed.<br /><br />As the script transformed from a drama to a thriller, its scale altered to match. The screen version of the NORAD control centre had Universal voice concerns about its construction costs. Further complicating the matter was the fact that the studio executives didn't understand the script or much of its terminology - a fear they thought the general public would share. Universal opted to pass, and the project stalled until United Artists stepped in to pick up the reigns. By now Wargames was a fully fleshed out and ready to shoot script, and UA wasted no time in attaching Martin Brest to direct the picture.<br /><br />Brest was an interesting choice as director. He had won some acclaim for a short he made during his film school days - Hot Dogs for Gauguin, which starred Danny Devito and Rita Perlman (making her movie debut). The film told the tale of a photographer determined to catch that one amazing shot - and in an effort to achieve this, planned to blow up the Statue of Liberty. Brest's work on Gauguin secured him his first major directing gig - that of the George Burns caper, Going in Style. This raised his profile higher, and bought him to the attention of United Artists, who were now getting ready to move forward on Wargames.<br /><br />Brest got straight to work, and is said to have had a major hand in the design of the NORAD control room, which would end up being the most expensive set built up to that point at a cost of a million dollars (Wargames overall budget was $12M). Interestingly, because the production team wasn’t allowed access to the actual war room, they had to create their own interpretation of what it might look like. It wasn't until several years later that it was revealed that the movie's NORAD set was far more elaborate than the real thing and visitors to the place would often ask to see the 'modern computer rooms'.<br /><br />With set construction underway, work got started on casting the lead roles of David Lightman and Jennifer Mack. For Lightman, the producers opted for Matthew Broderick, a newcomer with only a single film credit to his name. Despite the lack of screen work, Broderick was no stranger to theatre and had recently won acclaim for his work in Torch Song Trilogy. A favourable review of the play by veteran critic Mel Gussow got the young actor Broadway’s attention. He went on to win further positive notices for Neil Simon's Eugene Trilogy and would make his screen debut in Max Dugan Returns, another project penned by Simon.<br /><br />Ally Sheedy, who would play Jennifer, came to acting from a different direction. Although she performed with the American Ballet Theatre from age six to fourteen, she found herself thrust into the public eye when she wrote a best selling children's book, She was Nice to Mice, when aged just twelve. Having dabbled in acting during her summers off, Sheedy switched to the profession full time when she discovered she would need to stay on a starvation diet if she was to continue with ballet.<br /><br />In the meantime, her book gained her the attention of The Village Voice and the New York Times, both of whom wanted her to write for them. She ended up taking on another writing assignment, and it was while promoting it on the Mike Douglas Show that she was spotted by an agent and signed up almost immediately. She initially worked on commercials, off-Broadway plays and after-school specials. Once she hit 18, Sheedy headed for Hollywood and appeared in a number of one-off dramas, along with a short recurring role on Hill Street Blues. This work led her to be cast opposite Sean Penn in Bad Boys, and secured her role in Wargames.<br /><br />Even though the character of Steven Falken had started out as the lead role, by the time Wargames had a shooting script, he was relegated to a shadowy figure who had designed the system than Lightman hacks in to. It was Martin Brest who decided Falken should be altered. He felt a wheel-chair bound man arriving at NORAD would feel too much like Dr.Strangelove. For the role of Falken, John Wood was cast. The English actor was well revered for his work in theatre, particularly his interpretation of Shakespeare's characters. Wood was joined by Dabney Coleman as system engineer Dr. John McKittrick and Barry Corbin as General Jack Beringer (a role highly influenced by NORAD commander James Hartinger).<br /><br />Despite the many drafts the script went through and the picture being dropped by its original studio, everything looked to finally be in place. Shooting began on Goose Island for a sequence that would feature in the last third of the film. But there was trouble as soon as the first dailies were screened. The studio clashed with Brest over the dark tone he was taking. There's much speculation over what happened next, but the outcome was the same - Brest was fired after 10-12 days of shooting. Such was the fallout that the director was essentially blackballed in Hollywood for nearly two years. United Artists acted quickly to ensure the production wasn't delayed and hired John Badham to take over the job.<br /><br />In stark contrast to Brest, Badham was a seasoned veteran of both TV and movie directing, having received his first credit back in 1971. Initially cutting his teeth on various television shows, he made his feature debut on The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings. However, it was his work on the 1977 smash hit, Saturday Night Fever, which thrust him well into the limelight. Badham followed that up with an adaptation of Dracula (featuring Frank Langella and Laurence Olivier) and the drama Whose Life is it Anyway, with Richard Dreyfuss. When the director received the call for Wargames, he was also in production on futuristic helicopter flick, Blue Thunder (the two films would be released within weeks of one another).<br /><br />Badham was puzzled by what Brest had completed on Wargames before being fired. While some of it worked, (Indeed, some scenes which Brest shot remain in the finished movie), much of it felt stilted. Part of the issue was that both Broderick and Sheedy were convinced they were next to be fired, a fear that obviously fed into their performances. Having managed to convince them otherwise, Badham realised the problems on screen were simply that the characters weren't having any fun. Hacking into the school's computer system and altering grades should have been a prank, something David did to impress Jennifer. Instead, it felt like two spies on a deadly serious mission.<br /><br />All concerned set about loosening things up a little, having a bit more fun with the characters and their actions. Broderick's Lightman became less edgy and had a few of the lone-hacker traits removed or toned back. To ensure authenticity, Badham had a number of hackers visit the set, but learnt that he would need to tread a fine line between realism and entertainment - erring more on the latter. The process of hacking into a computer system, he discovered, was too long winded and complicated for a movie, and needed to be stripped back to keep the story flowing. The idea to give the computer a voice also meant there was less need to have half of the movie play out on a green screen monitor. Even with many of the technical aspects removed, most hackers believe its portrayal of their kind is still one of the more accurate ones Hollywood has produced.<br /><br />With shooting back on track, things progressed smoothly. Not even an on-set jeep accident could derail proceedings - a quick decision meant the crash was actually included in a scene, with an extra sequence shot to explain the aftermath. As the film entered post-production, United Artists looked towards marketing as the proposed June 3rd release date began to loom large.<br /><br />Reviews for Wargames were exceptionally strong, and the film holds a 92% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert awarded it four stars, and many other critics praised the all too realistic nature of the movie as one of its main strengths. The summer of 1983 was a busy one. The weeks leading up to Wargames' June 3rd release had seen Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, Breathless and John Badham's other picture, Blue Thunder. There were also re-issues of Rocky III, Porky's and Poltergeist. The real heavy hitter of 1983, Return of the Jedi, had opened the week before and took in over $30M. Wargames would also face competition on the same weekend from The Man With Two Brains and Psycho II, whilst Octopussy and Trading Places were waiting in the wings.<br /><br />A solid start saw the picture open to $6.2M on that first weekend, good enough for a third place finish behind Jedi and Psycho II. Signs that Wargames was in it for the long haul appeared a week later when it lost only 22% of its business up against the new releases. By day nine, it had already recouped back its production budget. As word of mouth spread, its weekend takings actually increased and by the end of its first month on general release the picture had made almost $30M.<br /><br />In all, Wargames managed nine straight weeks in the top ten, and never dropped lower than thirteenth place throughout its entire theatrical run (it re-entered the top ten in weekend eleven, fourteen and fifteen). The biggest weekend to weekend fall it endured was only 27%. Come the end of 1983, it was the fifth most successful film of the year, making an astounding $79.5M and finishing above Octopussy, Sudden Impact and the Saturday Night Fever sequel, Staying Alive. (Blue Thunder made $42M). Given its $12M investment, United Artists had been well rewarded. The picture was even nominated for three Academy Awards the following year, for cinematography, sound and for Lasker and Parkes' script.<br /><br />As a result of Wargames' success, the U.S government created and updated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1984, screening footage from the film before proceedings began. Hackers and their actions came under far more scrutiny too, with their skills being blown somewhat out of proportion based on what Lightman achieved in the movie. Convicted hacker Kevin Mitnick learnt this the hard way when a prosecutor convinced a federal judge that Mitnick could order a nuclear strike if allowed access to a phone. As result, he found himself in solitary confinement for a year.<br /><br />Wargames did have positive effects on the hacking community too, and they were in turn influenced by the film. Bulletin boards and the like saw a sharp rise in user numbers in the following months and years, and while the Internet did exist at this point, the influx of people began to shape it into the more recognisable form we know today. A yearly hacking convention took on the name DEFCON in tribute and a year after Wargames’ release, the quarterly hacker magazine, 2600, made its debut.<br /><br />The principle cast and crew all went on to bigger, brighter things, at least during the 1980s. Matthew Broderick followed the movie with a role in fantasy drama Ladyhawke, but it was his next role, as the titular character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, that he is most famously remembered for to this day. He also reprised two of his early theatrical roles on the silver screen, first in Biloxi Blues and again in Torch Song Trilogy. In recent years he has preferred the stage, and won much acclaim for his work opposite Nathan Lane in The Producers and again in The Odd Couple.<br /><br />Ally Sheedy became a member of the brat pack when she starred in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire, both in 1985. She also re-teamed with John Badham on Short Circuit in 1986. However, by the turn of the decade, roles in Heart of Dixie and Betsy's Wedding saw her nominated for a Golden Rasperberry award two years running. She spent much of the 1990s on smaller movie projects and TV roles, and won much acclaim for her part in the indie drama High Art.<br /><br />John Badham had a misstep with 1985's American Flyers, but then had a run of hits well into the 1990s, including the aforementioned Short Circuit, Stakeout, Bird on a Wire and The Hard Way. He went on to direct a number of TV movies, before switching back to episodic TV in 2003, a place where he continues to work to this day. Lawrence Lasker and Walter Parkes worked together again on Project X, another picture to star Matthew Broderick. They also revisited hackers with their 1992 thriller, Sneakers. Parkes would go on to become president of Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, and was a key player in setting up Dreamworks SKG.<br /><br />As for Martin Brest, it would seem getting almost thrown out of Hollywood was the best thing that could have happened to him - at least to begin with. After being in the wilderness for a year, he bounced back with Beverly Hills Cop, a hugely popular (and financially successful) Eddie Murphy vehicle. He followed that up with Midnight Run, Scent of a Woman and Meet Joe Black. However, the outright disaster (both critically and financially) of 2003's Gigli destroyed his career, and he has not had a single credit since.<br /><br />Wargames itself spawned a belated straight to DVD sequel in 2008 - Wargames: The Dead Code. It featured a hacker and a new computer system known as RIPLEY. WOPR and Steven Falken would also appear, though John Wood was absent from the role, as were any other original cast members. In recent years there has been talk of a Wargames remake, and in 2009 it was rumoured that Leonardo Di Caprio was looking to produce one. In 2011 Seth Gordon signed on to direct a new version but the project didn't move forward. As of summer 2014, director Dean Israelite is attached, and a new script is being worked on.<br /><br />Unlike many movies that feature computers, Wargames has aged quite well, mainly due to the fact that the creators didn't go overboard with their interpretation of what the technology could do or how it appeared. The computerized voice of Joshua and Lightman's green screen monitor stand up much better than other computer based pictures such as Hackers and The Net. The film remains grounded and can still offer a thrilling and tense ride.<br /><br />‘Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of <em>chess</em>?’</span></div>
Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-3443157009872879842014-10-19T03:12:00.004-07:002015-02-08T01:51:14.170-08:0080 From the 80s - Flash Gordon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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He’ll Save Every One of Us!</div>
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Studio: Universal Release Date: 5th December 1980</div>
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Director: Mike Hodges Starring: Sam Jones, Melody Anderson</div>
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Budget: $27M 2015 Equivalent: $82M</div>
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U.S Box Office: $27.1M 2015 Equivalent: $82.3M</div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 14px;">When the plane carrying football star Flash Gordon and journalist Dale Arden crash lands into the house of Dr Hans Zharkov, the duo find themselves coerced into travelling to the plant Mungo, the apparent source of a series of bizarre weather phenomenon that Earth is experiencing. Once there, they discover Mungo is ruled with an iron fist by Ming the Merciless, and its up to Flash to put a stop to his plans before Earth is destroyed. </span></i></span></div>
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The origins of Flash Gordon stretch back to the early 1930s. Created by Alex Raymond, the character first appeared in comic strip form on January 7th 1934 and was both inspired by, and in direct competition with, Buck Rogers.</div>
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In the original strips, Gordon was a polo player and Yale graduate - and was portrayed as the archetype American hero. When a plane carrying Flash and his companion, Dale Arden, crashes near the home of Dr. Hans Zarkov, the pair finds themselves kidnapped. Zarkov is convinced earth is being attacked from the planet Mongo and coerces Flash and Dale to travel there with him in a craft he has created. Once there the trio faces off against Ming the Merciless who is revealed to be behind the attacks. The strip would take in a number of locations across Mongo, and the adventurers would find themselves both helped and hindered by the planet's inhabitants. Ming would ultimately be overthrown, and this enabled Flash's adventures to take in other planets and galaxies, alongside regular visits to Mongo.</div>
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The strip was incredibly popular, appearing in daily and Sunday papers across America. Raymond's Sunday run would last eleven years, while Austin Briggs would produce daily strips from 1940-44. Going forward from there, Briggs worked on both strips, before passing on the weekend edition to Mac Raboy in 1948. In the years that followed, Dan Barry took over the daily run, while Raboy continued to work on the weekend strip, until his death in 1967. Flash Gordon continued to be a staple of American papers for many years; with Barry himself working on both daily and weekend strips until 1990. The latest story, Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist appeared in 2011, with a Ming spin off following in 2012. Over the years there were also novels, along with reprints of the earlier strips, radio serials and at least one magazine adventure.</div>
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Such was the popularity of the characters that a serial movie was put into production in 1936, with athlete Buster Crabbe as the titular hero. Shown in thirteen installments, Flash Gordon followed a similar storyline to the comic strips, with the characters initially landing on Mongo and facing off against Ming the Merciless. Each week's segment would follow on from the previous one - which always ended on a cliffhanger to ensure a returning audience the following week. It was the first primarily science fiction based serial ever made, and would eventually be released as a stand alone picture entitled Rocket Ship. Two further serials would be created, with Crabbe and the majority of the principal cast reprising their roles. These too would be released as stand alone pictures some time after their initial serial run. Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars debuted in 1938, with Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe arriving in 1940. Like Rocket Ship, the movie versions would carry different names to their serial counterparts, becoming Flash Gordon: The Deadly Ray and The Purple Death from Outer Space.</div>
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The characters weren't only confined to the silver screen either. In 1954, Telefusion and Intercontinental Television Films teamed up to produce a 39 part TV show. Curiously, while it would feature Flash, Dale and Zarkov, arch-nemesis Ming and the planet Mongo were nowhere to be seen. Despite remaining a popular strip, Flash Gordon would be absent from screens for a number of years, until George Lucas and Gary Kurtz attempted to secure the movie rights from King Features in the 1970s. King demanded too much money and creative control, leaving the duo to start from scratch. Lucas went on to borrow pieces from Flash Gordon (along with elements of Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress) when he moved forward with his own original science fiction film, Star Wars. The subsequent huge success of Lucas' picture did not go unnoticed by uber producer Dino De Laurentiis.</div>
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Laurentiis had been a producer working in Italy for a number of years - starting in 1940 with L'ultimo Combattimento. He went on to work on a variety of projects, including the production of Federico Fellini's La Strada, which won the first ever Foreign Film Academy Award in 1956. In the 1970s he turned his attention to America, working on such pictures as Serpico and Three Days of the Condor. After producing a remake of King Kong (to weak critical response but decent box office) it is said he witnessed the incredible success of Star Wars, and sought to secure the rights to Flash Gordon. It must be noted there is conflicting information regarding Lucas, Laurentiis and Flash Gordon. Some sources claim Lucas approached Laurentiis to buy the rights, and when turned down, went on to create Star Wars. Others state that Laurentiis only obtained the rights when he saw how successful Lucas' picture had become. </div>
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According to the Internet Movie Database, producer Lou Scheimer sought out Laurentiis when he needed to raise additional funds to complete his animated Flash Gordon movie-of-the-week for NBC. Laurentiis agreed to help on the proviso that Scheimer could secure him the theatrical movie rights - which he promptly did. With the rights in hand, the project could move forward, and the Italian producer had one person in mind to direct. In 1930s Italy, most American comics were banned by Mussolini. However, prior to embarking upon his career in film, famed director Federico Fellini worked on a number of bootleg Flash Gordon strips. Upon securing the rights to the character and his universe, Laurentiis sought out Fellini to direct the big screen adaptation, but the director was not interested and turned down the offer.</div>
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With Fellini out of the running, the producer looked to Nicholas Roeg to take on the job. Roeg had begun his career as a photographer and camera operator, graduating to a second unit photography credit on Lawrence of Arabia. In the 1970s he'd had a stunning run of films, making his directorial debut on Performance. He followed this up with the acclaimed Walkabout and horror film Don't Look Now. He gained further notice for the David Bowie science fiction drama, The Man Who Fell to Earth. Roeg sank himself into the entire Flash Gordon universe, and spent a year crafting a script. While impressed, Laurentiis passed, and informed Roeg: "I don't want to make that picture. Please stay and I'll tell you the picture I want to make." </div>
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Roeg walked and the producer signed Mike Hodges on to helm the picture instead. Initially he was said to have been the choice to direct the already-in-the-works sequel. However, with Roeg out of the running, the Get Carter director was placed front and centre. There's conjecture over this situation, as some sources claim Hodges was actually the eighth director the picture was offered to. Third choice or eighth, Flash Gordon now had a director. The production also scored an ace when they managed to secure the talents of Star Wars director of photography, Gil Taylor. With Roeg's script deemed unusable, Laurentiis hired Lorenzo Semple Jnr. with whom he had worked on the King Kong remake. Semple got his start on the Adam West Batman TV show, scripting the pilot and the first four episodes, while also acting as executive story producer on the remainder of the first season. He'd go on to provide the screenplay for Batman the Movie in 1966. He changed tack for 1968's Pretty Poison, and won acclaim for his work on The Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor, which marked his first collaboration with Dino De Laurentiis. Knowing Semple's work on Batman, it's easy to see how Flash Gordon ended up with a similar tone despite the source material being a more serious affair. </div>
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Casting could now get underway. The first choice to play Flash was Kurt Russell, who at that point in his career was something of a screen veteran. Russell had started acting in 1957, and became a popular child actor who had comfortably managed the transition to adult star. When the offer came through, he was busy working with John Carpenter on the TV movie Elvis. Russell quickly passed, deeming the character and script one-dimensional. A young Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had gained notoriety for his work on the documentary Pumping Iron, auditioned for the part, but was dismissed due to his strong Austrian accent. In the end, Flash Gordon was found in the most unusual of places - as a contestant on The Dating Game. Sam J. Jones had little acting experience, having had a bit part in the Dudley Moore comedy Ten, and a spread in Playgirl, but he looked the part of the all-American hero. According to Jones, one of Laurentiis' relatives had seen his appearance on The Dating Game and suggested him for the part; he was signed up the next day. Melody Anderson, who played Dale Arden (and also had a role in Carpenter's Elvis movie) found herself pursued by the producer, despite having the same opinion on the script as Kurt Russell. She'd already passed on the role but Laurentiis refused to take no for an answer. Anderson relented and found herself on board a plane for England that night. According to an interview she gave to Starlog in 1980, she arrived Saturday morning for a screen test and make up trial (including dying her blonde locks brown) and by Monday was on the way to Scotland to commence filming on Tuesday.</div>
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Actor and singer Topol (famed for his role in Fiddler on the Roof) was chosen as Dr Hans Zarkov, and along with Max Von Sydow, added an international flavour to the cast - along with giving the production a certain amount of credibility. Sydow had been a fan of the comic strip as a boy and thought the role offered him something a little from the norm. In contrast Royal Shakespeare Company stalwart Timothy Dalton viewed the role of Prince Barin as little more than a paycheck. Elsewhere, somewhat disgraced actor Peter Wyngarde would provide a memorable turn as Ming's second in command, Klytus, while Brian Blessed offered a bombastic performance as Vultan - a role for which the actor is still best known despite a huge body of other work. Rounding out the cast would be Italian actress Ornella Muti, who would make her English language debut on the picture in a role that was almost as memorable as Blessed's.</div>
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Flash Gordon may have looked a little cheap on screen, but this couldn't be further from the truth. The studio put forth a budget of between $20-30M (sources vary on this, though $27M is the figure regularly bandied about). The lavish sets and outrageous costumes would certainly attest to that. Indeed, some said the film itself was shot more around the costumes than it was the script. Filming took place in Scotland and England, at both Elstree and Shepperton studios. Things went off the rails almost as soon as shooting had commenced. With Semple's script more than a little on the camp side, Jones and Anderson were told to play the roles absolutely straight - which resulted in the picture becoming unintentionally funny. Upon seeing the first rushes, Laurentiis was upset by the laughter of the crew, and pushed the actors to play the roles with even more seriousness. This only made the performances funnier still. Scenes and sequence were created and scrapped with alarming regularity. The Italian crew didn't get on with the English one, and rarely discussed what the other should be doing - but both agreed they were right. Language barriers also meant the Italian crew weren't able to report back that things weren't quite how Laurentiis and the studio had envisioned. </div>
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Director and cast would turn up on set with little idea of what they would find - either in terms of set design or costumes. Hodges shot whatever he could. Years later he would describe the film as "the only improvised $27-million movie ever made." The fabled duel between Barin and Flash left the actors covered in silver paint, which had to be removed between set ups. Impractical costumes made the shoot arduous for many, especially Vultan's hawk men who were unable to sit down once their wings were attached. The climactic attack on the War Rocket Ajax took three days to set up, and left many of the cast suspended in mid air for hours at a time. Blessed's hijinx resulted in the entire sequence being reset (something that took a further day to achieve) when it was revealed during the rushes that he'd accompanied his bazooka shots with 'pew, pew, pew'. Even Melody Anderson was caught up in the chaos. A proposed sequence would see Ming cause Flash to hallucinate that Dale had turned into a giant spider. A huge costume was created and the actress spent four hours in make up and a further six shooting the sequence only to be told that while it looked great, they couldn't use it as it had nothing to do with the script. </div>
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Off set, Sam Jones was running into problems himself. Forever getting into fights, at one point he ended up in hospital requiring stitches to his face. According to legend, Laurentiis himself burst into the theatre and insisted the doctor leave the actor with no visible scarring. Such incidents led to one of the most infamous stories surrounding the shoot and one that would have a long-term effect on Jones' career. There are a number of theories behind the fact that Jones' voice was dubbed in the finished film. Hodges claimed the majority of filming was complete with only some second unit work remaining, for which he used Jones' stunt double. The director managed to find someone to impersonate Jones' voice for any lines required, which ended up being used in the finished product. However Jones claims the vast majority of his lines were dubbed. According to the book Dino: The Life and Film of Dino De Laurentiis, Jones and the producer had a falling out about money (and Jones' off-set behaviour) and when shooting broke for Christmas, the actor went back to Los Angeles, never to return. The book goes on to claim Flash Gordon must have been the only film completed without its principal star. Chances are there's truth to both these theories - with Jones' stand-in having to complete the film in his absence, and the impersonator doing the rest. </div>
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In spite of all these issues, shooting was completed at a lightning pace due to the requirement of an extended post production period to add in the film's many visual effects. As the pieces started to pull together, thoughts turned towards the soundtrack. Mike Hodges wanted Pink Floyd, but ended up settling for Queen. The band's management approached the production upon seeing 20 minutes of the finished picture. Laurentiis had never heard of the legendary band but commissioned them to create the soundtrack upon hearing some of their work. Queen were given reign to produce whatever they wanted, provided it complimented the picture. Flash Gordon became the band's ninth album and the first of only two soundtracks they would provide (the other being Highlander). All but two tracks were instrumentals, though snippets of dialogue are heard throughout. The idea to use dialogue wasn't actually part of the original plan. Brian May and Roger Taylor were composing the score and inserted dialogue to get a feel for how the music would work within the film. Impressed with the experiment, they left it in the final product, leading to the memorable single, Flash. </div>
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Dino De Laurentiis anticipated (and hoped) that Flash Gordon would be an even bigger hit than Star Wars. Hype was building as its December release approached, helped in part by trailers and Queen's Flash receiving plenty of airplay. Reviews were generally positive (the film holds an 81% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes) with attention paid to the sets, costumes and soundtrack. While not the costliest film of the time (as mentioned, the budget was somewhere between $20-30M), Flash Gordon still needed to be a sizable hit to recoup its budget and secure any sequels. In comparison, the number one movie of 1980, The Empire Strikes Back, cost $18M and made back $209M (admittedly this was the sequel to one of the biggest films of all time). </div>
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Flash would have little in the way of competition, with only Popeye waiting in the wings. There were some comedy heavy-hitters in December, but as they didn't skew the same demographic, they weren't seen as competition as such. The picture opened on the 5th December 1980 at 823 locations, earning an OK $3.4M during it first weekend. While there's little to compare it to, Stir Crazy, which opened a week later, made $8.6M and the aforementioned Popeye earnt $6.3M. Thanks in part to the Christmas break, the picture would go on to earn $27.1M in North America and although it pretty much covered its costs, it was still seen as a flop. It performed very well in the UK, making $14M and becoming one of the biggest releases of the year. It did solid business in Italy too. But the film lacked the break out success of Star Wars, and that put any proposed sequel (or trilogy) to bed. Like Krull, Flash Gordon became a hit on the burgeoning home video market and gained a very strong cult following in the intervening years.</div>
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Post-Flash, Sam Jones found himself in a number of TV movies and one-off episodes. He had a short-lived TV show in 1987, The Highwayman, which ran for 10 episodes before being cancelled. Since then he has continued to work but has never come close to the high profile of that first major role. Melody Anderson led a similar path, appearing in one-off episodes of popular shows of the time such as The A-Team and Murder She Wrote. She had recurring roles in St.Elsewhere and Manimal, but appeared to have retired from show business in 1995. Topol appeared in the mini-series War and Remembrance in 1983, and played the same part in the follow up The Winds of War. He would go on to reprise his Fiddler on the Roof role to great acclaim, touring the production through out the world. </div>
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Max Von Sydow went from the strength to strength. Already a well respected actor, he would continue to mix mainstream Hollywood fare with smaller European movies. His role in 1987's Pelle The Conqueror helped earn the film a Best Foreign Film Academy Award. As is well documented, Timothy Dalton would take over from Roger Moore as James Bond, making his debut as the character in The Living Daylights. He gained further notice for his role in the Gone with the Wind sequel, Scarlett. At the time of writing he has a recurring role in the TV show, Penny Dreadful. Director Mike Hodges switched to TV movies before returning to theatrical releases with 1985’s Morons from Outer Space. The 1998 movie Croupier won him (and star Clive Owen) much attention. </div>
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Flash Gordon's influence still resonates, with director Edgar Wright citing it as a favourite of his, and using some of its visual cues in Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. Writer and director Seth MacFarlane went a step further and featured the film prominently in his 2012 comedy, Ted. He even had Sam Jones play himself, recreating the rocket cycle scene with star Mark Wahlberg. Attempts to bring Flash Gordon back to screens have been made over the years, most notably in a 2007 TV series which ran for a single season. As recently as April 2014, there has been talk of another film, with Fox securing the rights to the character and setting Star Trek 3 (reboot) writers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay to work on the script.</div>
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Looking back today, the film still holds up well. The costumes and sets still impress, as does Queen's soundtrack. While some of the acting will elicit laughter, a number of sequences still work effectively, particularly the trial of the wood beast. And despite its campy tone, the picture is quite graphic in places and doesn't shy away from what are exceptionally traumatic experiences for the main characters - Flash's 'death' and Zarkov's memory wiping being the stand outs. With 2014 being the character's 80th birthday, there's no better time to rediscover the movie.</div>
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Flash - He'll save every one of us.</div>
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Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-85208711189561107872014-10-11T13:56:00.001-07:002015-02-08T01:50:59.123-08:0080 From the 80s - Krull<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">‘A world light-years beyond your imagination’</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Studio: Columbia Pictures Release Date: 29th July 1983</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Director: Peter Yates Starring: Kenneth Marshall, Lysette Anthony</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Budget: $26M 2015 Equivalent: $62M</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">U.S Box Office: $16.5M 2015 Equivalent: $39.3M</span></div>
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<span style="color: #282828; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 20.3636360168457px;"><i>On the eve of a wedding meant to unite two rivals kingdoms, The Beast's army attacks, slaughtering many and kidnapping the bride to be. Prince Conwyn must join forces with a wise man, a magician, a cyclops and a band of theives in order to locate the only weapon capable of destroying the Beast. With time and many the forces against him, can Conwyn save his bride and the kingdom? </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite being one of the most expensive movies of the time, Krull is seemingly forgotten amongst the releases of the early 1980s. Taking its primary influence from Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, it sought to score box office gold in the late summer of 1983. With Return of the Jedi starting to look a little long in the tooth, Krull staked its claim to be the next fantasy epic. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 20.3636360168457px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the helm was Peter Yates, a director of some pedigree. Yates had originally started out as a race driver (something that would influence his later work) before setting his sights on acting. Upon graduating from the Royal Academy for the Dramatic Arts he worked in repertory theatre as both an actor and director. During the 1950s he took on a number of different jobs, which would eventually lead to an assistant director credit on The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. This in turn led to him working on The Entertainer and The Guns of Navarone, while making his mark on the small screen with directing credits on both The Saint and Danger Man. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This early work paved the way to his first feature directing credit for Cliff Richard's Summer Holiday, a light-weight musical comedy designed to highlight the singer's talents and help sell records. Yates would follow this up with the surreal One Way Pendulum. It was his third feature, Robbery, that would garner him the attention of Steve McQueen. The picture was a very loose interpretation of The Great Train Robbery, yet what caught the actor's eye was a sequence featuring a high speed car chase through London. So impressed was he that he sought out Yates to direct the action drama, Bullitt. The film would go on to be McQueen's most successful picture and the climactic car chase around San Francisco set the benchmark for movie chase sequences for years to come.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bullitt essentially made Yates, allowing him to work consistently for the next thirty five years. Not afraid to mix things up, he moved from romantic drama (John and Mary) to crime caper (The Hot Rock) and then black comedy (Mother, Juggs and Speed). From Bullitt in 1968, he would go on to make ten movies in the next thirteen years and work with some of the biggest actors of the time including Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Barbara Streisand and Robert Mitchum. He even found time to ride the Jaws bandwagon in the late 70s when he directed The Deep, an underwater thriller starring Jaqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte. Admittedly, the film had more of a link to Spielberg’s classic than most, having been based on a book by Jaws author Peter Benchley. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He would round out the 1970s with an Oscar nomination for his work on the coming of age picture, Breaking Away. Suffice it to say, when Krull came around, Peter Yates was something of a seasoned veteran. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With Star Wars having taken the world by storm in 1977, science fiction was thrust back into the mainstream. The release of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 merely proved how popular the genre had become and studios were quick to cash in with cheap knock-offs, though few were of any substance (or much in the way of box office). Hoping to ride on the bandwagon was Columbia Pictures, who set to work on what would become known as Krull. To craft the screenplay, they hired writer Stanford Sherman, who cut his teeth on Batman and the Man from U.N.C.L.E and had seen recent success with the Clint Eastwood sequel, Every Which Way You Can. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sherman was tasked with combining the hi-tech adventure of Star Wars and the fantastical elements of Lord of the Rings, into a movie that the studio hoped would attract fans of both (along with everyone else). At one point it was rumoured that the producers had been seeking a tie-in with the Dungeons & Dragons brand. Whilst the story persisted for many years after Krull's release, there was never actually an official approach - though a Dungeons & Dragons script was said to be in the works at around the same time (elements of which would make it into the 1983 cartoon series of the same name). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the script nearing completion, Columbia set about gathering a production team and cast. Hoping to live up to the epic moniker, a huge $27M budget was put in place. To put that into some perspective - Raiders of the Lost Ark had cost $18M to bring to screens, while Return of the Jedi would weigh in at $32.5M. Curiously, Krull's estimated budget may actually have been higher still, with some stating it was closer to the $40M mark. Whatever its final cost ended up being, the studio wanted to ensure it was up on the screen for all to see. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 20.3636360168457px;">Forgoing major stars, Krull's cast was made up of relatively unknown actors. Indeed, even the most famous of the crew, Carry-On stalwart Bernard Bresslaw, was hidden behind layers of prosthetics that would turn him into the cyclops, Rell. Colwyn would be played by Ken Marshall, who had recently gained some attention as Marco Polo in a TV mini-series of the same name. He'd be joined by Lysette Anthony as Lyssa, a model turned actress who was dubbed 'the face of the eighties' by photographer David Bailey and who had made her screen debut in soap opera Crossroads when she was only a year old. Ynyr, essentially the Obi-Wan role, would be portrayed by Freddie Jones, a character actor whose work stretched back to the early 1960s. He had found fame playing Claudius in the TV series, The Ceasars, amongst many other pieces of work on both stage and screen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Perhaps more interesting for a contemporary audience is the supporting cast. Aside from Grange Hill's Todd Carty and David Battley as Ergo The Magnificent, was Alun Armstrong, Robbie Coltrane and Liam Neeson. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Armstrong had been acting on TV and in films for over ten years by the time he took the role in Krull. He'd scored his first on-screen role by writing to director Mike Hodges when he was looking to cast local actors in Get Carter. From there he would appear in a number of roles throughout the decade, taking in both situation comedy and one-off dramas. In contrast, Robbie Coltrane was still a relative newcomer in 1982, and while Krull was his fifth film role to date, it was arguably his biggest at that point. Like Alun Armstrong, Liam Neeson had been bitten by the acting bug fairly early on in his life, but it would be a number of years before he'd make his screen debut. Instead he took on a number of casual jobs and trained as a teacher before joining a Belfast-based theatre troupe. While performing on stage as Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men he was spotted by John Boorman, who offered Neeson a part in Excalibur, which helped prepare him somewhat for his role of Kegan in Krull. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Columbia spared no expense when it came to the physical production of the film, taking over ten sound stages at Pinewood, including the biggest of them all - the 007 stage. In all, more than 23 sets were created, and further location shooting took place in Italy and the Canary Islands. With construction underway on the enormous swamp set, work began on the Slayer costumes and a self contained animatronics suit for The Beast, the first of its kind according to special effects supervisor Nick Maley. For Krull's score, the studio hired James Horner, who had won acclaim for his work on Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan the previous year. Horner had begun his career scoring movies for Roger Corman, steadily working on bigger productions. After the success the Star Trek sequel bought him, he became one of the most sought after composers of the 1980s, and would go on to provide the score for Aliens, Willow and Field of Dreams, to name but a few.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The shoot itself appears to have been uneventful. Despite this being Peter Yates' first foray into science fiction, he had little problem handling the effects and make up work that many of the scenes required. With shooting coming to a close in late 1982/early 1983, post production work got underway. It was around this time that the decision was made to dub Robbie Coltrane's voice with that of TV star Michael Elphick. Similarly, Lysette Anthony also found her voice was replaced with that of American Lindsay Crouse. The theory put forward for this by Columbia Pictures president Frank Price was that people in the United States were more likely to see a film with an unknown American actress' voice than an unknown English one. It is not clear when Coltrane discovered his dialogue had been replaced, but Anthony was told after the dubbing had already taken place, and had been completely unaware before hand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile the studio looked ahead to the film's marketing and its late summer release. With a huge budget to recoup, and no major stars with which to promote the picture, Columbia knew the story, scale and effects would have to do most of the grunt work to get people into theatres. To help promote the picture and add further revenue streams, they set up marketing deals with Parker Brothers for a Krull board game and sold the videogame rights to Atari. A pinball game was also designed but never went into production. Alan Dean Foster wrote the novelization and Marvel produced a comic book tie in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cinematic landscape back then was quite different to the one we know today. While cinema-going was still popular, the boom of the home video market was starting to cut deep into its revenue. Some even predicted the death of movie-going within five years. A wide release back in the early 1980s would grace between 1000 and 1600 locations, and while multiplex theatres did exist, it wasn't in any great number. Re-issues were still incredibly popular and it was not unusual to see last summer's hits being rolled out again twelve months later (Disney movies aside, home video would soon eviscerate that revenue stream). The summer of 1983 promised to be one of the biggest in history thanks to the May 25th release of Return of the Jedi. Even though no studio would go up directly against Episode Six, there were more than enough major releases willing to take a chance both before and after it made its debut. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hoping to distance itself from Jedi, but still capture the summer market, Columbia opted for a July 29th release date for Krull, where it would be up against the Chevy Chase comedy, National Lampoon's Vacation and Private School, an Animal House/Porky's knock off. Competition from the week before consisted of the Rob Lowe comedy Class, and Jaws 3D. While on paper Krull had a lot going for it, its lack of a major star hurt the picture, especially going up against a Chevy Chase vehicle. Furthermore, reviews weren't positive, with a number citing the picture's downbeat tone as something of a stumbling block. It certainly looked the epic that had been promised but few felt it added up to much of anything. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Out at 1,281 locations, Krull stalled and never really got chance to recover. It made $5.4M during its opening weekend and had to settle for a fifth place finish. The studio were right to be fearful of Return of the Jedi - even in its tenth weekend on general release, it was still very real competition and actually finished higher. As expected, National Lampoon's Vacation took the top spot, making $8.3M, while Jaws 3D dropped 45% from its opening weekend, earning $7.2M. Krull held quite well in its second frame up against Risky Business, but surprisingly, had already begun to shed its location count. It managed one more weekend in the top ten before vanishing completely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All up the picture made $16.5M, some way short of its $26M budget, and became one of the costliest failures of the year (and an even bigger flop if the rumoured higher budgetary figure was true). The lack of star power, strong competition and poor reviews were all contributing factors to its downfall. However, while the home video market was seen by some as the death knell for cinema, for studios it became a second chance at making money. Krull enjoyed success on VHS, and over the intervening years gained a cult following. It rarely makes it into the top films of the 1980s, but is often cited as an unappreciated gem, with a new generation discovering the movie on DVD and again on Blu-Ray. As for Columbia Pictures, one imagines their disappointment was short lived when Ghostbusters opened the following summer and became one of the biggest releases of all time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Post-Krull, Peter Yates never made another science fiction based picture, but continued to enjoy success for many years. Indeed, he won great critical acclaim (and another Oscar nomination) for his adaptation of The Dresser, which was also released in 1983. In an interesting twist, Ynyr actor Freddie Jones had made the role of 'Sir' famous in the original stage production. Like Yates, Jones would continue to work for many years, teaming up a number of times with David Lynch (with whom he had worked on The Elephant Man), along with a memorable turn in Young Sherlock Holmes. Robbie Coltrane made waves with the role of Danny McGlone in Tutti Frutti, and again as Eddie Fitzgerald in Cracker. To a whole new generation of fans, he will always be Hagrid from the Harry Potter series. On the other hand, Liam Neeson stuck it out in Hollywood, making a name for himself in a number of pictures. It was his role as Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's 1993 drama, Schindler's List that bought him international recognition. The actor would later reinvent himself as a modern action hero in the movie Taken and continues to be a popular draw today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lysette Anthony would go on to become a household name by the mid-1980s, and combined a successful TV career with movie and theatre roles. She appeared opposite Michael Elphick in the sitcom Three Up, Two Down, and alongside Michael Caine in Jack The Ripper and Without a Clue. She would also attract acclaim for her role in Woody Allen's 1992 movie, Husbands and Wives. Sadly, Krull's failure all but ended Ken Marshall's career before it had got going. He wasn't seen on screen again until 1987 and is remembered more nowadays for the role of Michael Eddington in Deep Space Nine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Had Krull been a success, one imagines a sequel would have been forthcoming - a prophecy central to the film tells of Colwyn and Lyssa ruling the planet, and their son ruling the galaxy. Instead it became a minor footnote in cinema history. Like many movies of the era, time has not been kind to Krull, but there is still much to enjoy. The sets still impress, and the script introduces enough adventure to keep the pace brisk yet entertaining. It's also not afraid to utilize a number of darker elements, including a somewhat downbeat final third. Krull may not be remembered in the same way as Return of the Jedi, but it is still worth seeking out or rediscovering. </span></div>
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Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-25889584039046847322014-10-11T13:53:00.001-07:002014-10-11T13:53:43.340-07:0080 From the 80s - A New Project Announced<div style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-size: 13.63636302948px; line-height: 20.3636360168457px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Welcome to the first chapter in a new project – 80 From The 80s. The idea is to take 80 movies released in the 1980s and chart their production and release history, adding background details and facts, along with analysis of their box office performance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The series will take in all manner of movies, covering a variety of genres, actors and directors. The ultimate goal is to create a brand new book that takes in all 80 essays. Not every film choice will make sense, and there will surely be classics that won’t make the cut – but I hope everyone will find something of interest. This isn’t a best of the 1980s, rather a collection of movies that entertained.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The idea came about when I was watching Beverly Hills Cop at the Astor Theatre recently. It occurred to me that unlike today, when every single detail is known about a film prior to its release, little was generally known about the stories behind movies back in the 1980s. Only the bigger releases generally got ‘makings of’ and they were rarely seen outside of Starlog, Cinefantastique and the like. 80 From The 80s hopes to go some way towards rectifying that situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The project is anticipated to take around two years to complete, and I aim to try to and finish a new essay every couple of weeks. I hope to put a number of them online as they’re done – depending on how the writing goes moving forward. At the end, they’ll be compiled into a book – hopefully both print and digital versions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">80 From The 80s won’t be a film review guide, but will offer an insight into the films you loved and a desire to see those you haven’t.</span></div>
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Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-66979996479222951942013-10-27T12:24:00.000-07:002013-10-27T12:24:53.071-07:00The End of an EraI've taken the decision to stop writing a weekly box office report.
It's been a huge part of my life for many years, and I've done my best
to turn in a report every Sunday evening, but all (quite) good things
must come to an end.<br />
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Writing about film box office is a strange game, and offers something
a little different most weekends. You're writing about film, but in a
different way to a critic or a fan. I've never been a very good reviewer
but in brief moments, I considered myself a pretty good box office
reporter. I will miss writing each week, but for reasons I can't quite
explain, now seems like the right time to stop.<br />
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I want to thank every one who has read, commented and shared the
weekly reports, I hope people found something entertaining and
informative within. I tried to fill them with things that you'd not
often see in other similar work, and I hope that made them different
enough for people to seek out and enjoy. I did my best to research any
facts and figures I used because I felt that if people were willing to
give up their time to read my work, they deserved something worthy of
that effort in return. I hope I succeeded in that.<br />
<br />
Box Office Voodoo will stay online until the domain name expires, and
if I get chance one day, I'll compile all the reports I have into one
document and make it freely available. If you're in need of an excellent
replacement, I can't recommend Scott Mendelson's Forbes column highly
enough. <br />
<br />
Thank you for your time and support over the days, months and years, it has always been very much appreciated.<br />
Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-13205554998093734582013-10-15T05:29:00.001-07:002013-10-15T05:29:47.355-07:00Short HiatusDue to a personal issue, the box office report will be taking a short break of around two weeks. All being well, normal service will resume after that. Thank you for your patience.Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-60939090598774533972013-10-06T13:10:00.001-07:002013-10-06T13:10:15.011-07:00U.S Box Office Report - 3rd - 6th October 20131. Gravity - $55.6M - $55.6M<br />
2. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 - $21.5M - $60.5M<br />
3. Runner Runner- $7.6M - $7.6M<br />
4. Prisoners - $5.7M - $47.8M<br />
5. Rush - $4.4M - $18M<br />
6. Don Jon - $4.16M -$16M<br />
7. Baggage Claim - $4.10M -$15.1M<br />
8. Insidious Chapter 2 - $3.8M - $74.7M<br />
9. Pulling Strings - $2.5M - $2.5M<br />
10. Enough Said - $2.1M - $5.3M<br /><br />
This weekend finally sees the long-awaited release of the science
fiction thriller Gravity. It was set to take on Runner Runner, a low key
drama with a fairly high profile cast. Cloudy With a Chance of
Meatballs 2 dominated last weekend and looked to build on that this
frame, especially with no direct competition to get in its way. Ahead to
next weekend and we have the Tom Hanks real life drama Captain Philips,
which is set to take on Robert Rodriguez' Grindhouse themed sequel,
Machete Kills.<a name='more'></a><br />
The premise for Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity is simplicity itself. A veteran
astronaut and a bio-medical engineer on her first space mission are
cast adrift when debris crashes into their shuttle during a space walk.
With limited oxygen and no communication with mission control, the duo
must work together to get to find a safe haven in their increasingly
desperate situation. Gravity has been a long time coming. The director,
with the help of his son, Jonas, came up with the basic plot several
years ago, but the project was put on the backburner at Universal
Studios and Cuarón went on to direct Children of Men. In 2010, Warner
Bros. acquired the property, and set Robert Downey Jnr for the role of
astronaut Matt Kowalski. The female lead and central character would
require some skill to pull off, including as it does, very long
single-take sequences of little or no dialogue. Angelina Jolie expressed
an interest in taking on the role of Dr Ryan Stone after opting not to
return for a Wanted sequel. However the studio balked at her $20M asking
price, and the two parted company. Jolie would instead concentrate her
efforts on her directorial debut, In The Land of Blood and Honey.
Cuarón's quest to cast the role of Dr Stone continued through 2010, and
would take in Marion Cotillard, Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively. The
studio were even willing to cast Natalie Portman without a screen-test
but the young actress couldn't commit due to scheduling conflicts.
Cuarón and WB then approached Sandra Bullock, who was coming off
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and had recently won an Oscar for
her dramatic turn in The Blind Side. She tentatively accepted, but just
as the project began to move forward, Downey Jnr left to take on a role
in Shawn Levy's How To Talk To Girls. His replacement, George Clooney,
was announced alongside Bullock's casting, in December 2010. A release
date of November 2012 was initially put into place.<br /><br />
With a budget of $100M and a plan to revolutionise the way 3D was used
in movies, Cuarón worked with Chris Parker and Tim Webber to visualise
scenes, shooting the live action sequences at Shepperton, beginning in
May 2011. With filming complete, extensive post-production work could
get underway, and as rumours of 20 minute single-take shots began to
surface, Gravity quickly became the must-see film of 2012. With some
impressive early word from test screenings in May 2012 came the bad news
that the picture had slipped into 2013. It would be another seven
months before WB settled on a new release date - a further ten months
into the future. With so long to wait, things went very quiet on Gravity
until the first trailer was unleashed in May 2013 - to almost universal
praise. But in a move that has seemingly become the norm, the studio
revealed more and more footage, either in the form of clips or
additional trailers. With $100M at stake, and a film with only two main
characters, with extended dialogue free sequences, this was going to be a
tough sell despite the spectacle of the footage. Reviews have been
little short of exceptional, with Gravity scoring a 98% approval rating -
critics highlighting Bullock's performance as well as the staggering
visuals.<br /><br />
With only limited competition from the new and existing releases, the
picture was set to open at 3,575 locations. Early reports from online
vendor Fandango put the 3D ticket sales ratio at 91% - 1% higher than
those for Avatar's opening weekend. From Thursday evening screenings,
Gravity made $1.4M, which led to a very strong Friday haul of $17.5M.
Obviously nothing else in release came close to that figure, and it set
the picture up for a very impressive, perhaps even record breaking
October weekend. As Saturday came to a close, Gravity had actually
increased its takings on the previous day, adding another $23M. By
Sunday night it was sitting on a three-day figure of $55.5M - a brand
new record for an October release, surpassing the $52.5M earnt by
Paranormal Activity 3. This was an incredibly impressive showing, credit
to all concerned, particularly of late the studio's marketing, which
pushed 3D/Imax screenings as the proper way to see the film. (Imax
accounted for 20% of that opening figure, with 3D equating to $44M).
This is easily the best opening weekend for both leads (Gravity finally
smashed Clooney's long standing Batman & Robin record) and sets the
picture up for a potential $130M+ in the US. Internationally Gravity
earned $27.4M - a figure expected to rise rapidly in the coming weeks.
Next weekend will certainly be an interesting one, especially if the
fantastic word of mouth continues to spread.<br /><br />
The Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs sequel opened to $34M last
weekend. While it didn't take the September record, it was still seen by
many, including studio Sony, as a solid enough start. With no direct
competition, it was expected to give up the top spot to Gravity, but
still see a decent second frame figure. By Thursday night it had earnt
$39M - roughly half of what it cost to produce. With the two new
releases in play, Meatballs 2 made $4.7M on its second Friday, a
slightly high fall of 49% on the same day last weekend. In comparison,
its predecessor, which opened to $30M, fell just 31% in the same time
frame. As is the norm with family films, Saturday and Sunday matinee
showings improved things quite dramatically in this case, allowing the
animated sequel to finish up with a weekend total of $21.5M (an overall
fall of 37%). That means that after ten days, it has taken $60.5M (the
original did $60.4M in that period). Thanks to no direct competition
until November, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 will have no problem
reaching $100M, but the jury is still out as to whether it'll best the
$124M scored by the first film.<br /><br />
The only other major release this weekend is the thriller Runner Runner,
which stars Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arteton and Ben Affleck. The
picture follows college student Richie Furst (Timerlake) who ends up
cheated out of his tuition money by an online poker site, run by Ivan
Block (Affleck, who was the bomb in Phantoms). Heading to a remote
island location, Furst plans on confronting Block, but soon finds
himself becoming his protege. However trouble soon rears its head when
the FBI attempt to use one man to take down the other. Runner Runner is
directed by Brad Furman, whose last picture was the Matthew McConaughey
thriller, The Lincoln Lawyer. Shooting took place last summer, but
despite the on screen talent, hype was kept fairly low key, with just
two trailer and two clips released to support the feature. Critics
certainly weren't impressed, with it scoring just a 9% approval rating
at Rotten Tomatoes. With Gravity, Rush and Prisoners having the dramatic
market sewn up, Runner Runner faced an uphill struggle to get itself
noticed. It opened in third place on Friday, with a somewhat
disappointing $2.75M, and never really managed to recover from there. It
would make another $3M on Saturday, and $1.8M on Sunday, bringing it
opening figure to a very soft $7.6M. Curiously, if you remove limited
releases, this opening is the weakest of Timberlake's career to date.
Even with only a $30M budget attached, Runner Runner is going to
struggle domestically, but in the long term will be ok, thanks in part
to a slightly stronger (at the time of writing) overseas performance.<br /><br />
With Gravity dominating the dramatic market, both Rush and Prisoners
slipped down this week. Of the two, the Hugh Jackman feature, which sees
him becoming a man of obsessed with finding his missing daughter,
performed the best, making $5.7M this weekend. To date, that means
Prisoners has made $47.8M, just about recouping its production budget.
While its unlikely to hit $70M domestically, it will still see a solid
return on the investment, not to mention the potential award recognition
in the coming months. It also stands a good chance of performing well
overseas, where Jackman is arguably more popular.<br /><br />
Meanwhile Rush, the Ron Howard picture that follows the lives of Formula
One racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, dropped down to fifth place this
weekend, making $4.4M in the process. That gives the $38M flick a
cumulative gross of $18M. While F1 may not be as popular in the US as it
is elsewhere, Rush is getting by on the sterling central performances
of Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl. Overseas it has now made over $30M,
a figure that should continue to climb as word spreads.<br /><br />
Like Prisoners and Rush, Don Jon and Baggage Claim continued to spar
throughout the week, with the former managing to pull ahead (and stay
that way) for the duration. With Joseph Gordon-Levitt operating on three
levels (actor, writer and director) Don Jon scored some impressive
reviews and managed to recoup its meagre costs within its first three
days on general release. A week on saw it at fifth place on Friday,
making $1.4M in the process. A further $2.7M on Saturday and Sunday
brought its second frame total to $4.16M. In all, to date, Don Jon has
earnt $16M and should yet manage at least one more frame inside the top
ten. Next up for Levitt is a role in the long-awaited Sin City sequel, A
Dame to Kill For.<br /><br />
Rom-com Baggage Claim didn't fair quite as well as Don Jon, and by
Thursday was down to making just over $400K. But with its low budget
also covered from its opening few days, this was ultimately little
concern to Fox Searchlight. In its second frame, Baggage Claim made
$1.2M on Friday (down 63% on the same day last week), leading to a
weekend total of $4.10M. Overall, that brings its total to $15.1M, and
sets it up for a domestic finish of around $25-30M.<br /><br />
Horror flick Insidious Chapter 2 added $3.8M this weekend, its fourth on
general release. The low budget release which stars Rose Byrne and
Patrick Wilson has now made $74.7M stateside, with a further $12M on the
international market. It may see one more frame inside the top ten
before heading to the home market. No word yet on whether we'll see a
third chapter, but given the cost to profit ratio, it would seem almost
inevitable.<br /><br />
Surprise top ten entry, Pulling Strings is a bilingual comedy about a
mariachi singer trying to balance his day job with raising his daughter.
The situation is further complicated when her visa application is
rejected, meaning she is unable to visit her grandparents in the US.
Could a chance meeting with the woman who turned down the request help
turn the situation around? Pulling Strings was out to 387 theatres and
made a solid $2.5M.<br /><br />
Also managing to crack the top ten from only 437 locations is the
bitter-sweet comedy drama, Enough Said, which stars Julie Louis-Dreyfus
and the late James Gandolfini. Having opened to an impressive $232K from
only 4 theatres, Fox Searchlight expanded the film into another 223
locations last weekend and were rewarded with a $2M haul. Further
expansion this frame allowed it a tenth place finish and a $2.1M total.
To date, Enough Said, which also stars Toni Collette and Catherine
Keener, has made $5.3M.Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-56590081998132545452013-09-29T13:55:00.001-07:002013-09-29T13:55:19.807-07:00U.S Box Office Report - 20th - 22nd Sept 20131. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 - $35M - $35M<br />
2. Prisoners - $11.2M - $38.9M<br />
3. Rush - $10.3M - $10.5M<br />
4. Baggage Claim - $9.3M -$9.3M<br />
5. Don Jon - $9M -$9M<br />
6. Insidious Chapter 2 - $6.7M - $69.5M<br />
7. The Family - $3.6M - $31.6M<br />
8. Instructions Not Included- $3.3M - $38.5M<br />
9. We're The Millers - $2.8M - $142.4M<br />
10. Lee Miller' The Butler - $2.4M - $110.2M<br /><br />
After a few quieter weeks, it's business as usual at the box office,
with four major releases joining the fray. The Cloudy With a Chance of
Meatballs sequel looked to take on Baggage Claim, Don Jon and an
expanding Rush. Prisoners was hoping to build on its impressive start
but with the increased competition, it would need to rely on the strong
word of mouth it had been accumulating. Next weekend brings the Justin
Timberlake/Ben Affleck drama, Runner Runner, plus the long awaited
release of Gravity.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The adaptation of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was based on the
book of the same name by author Judi Barrett. The critically acclaimed
film saw a wide release just over four years ago, and while not a major
hit (it earnt $124M against a budget of $100M), it certainly had its
fans and enjoyed a successful run on DVD. In something of a rarity,
especially in light of recent animated releases, the picture actually
made less money overseas than it did domestically ($118M versus the
aforementioned $124M). News of a sequel first emerged in April of 2010
when it was revealed that directors Phill Lord and Chris Miller would
not be returning to helm the sequel (the duo would take on 21 Jump
Street and The Lego Movie instead). In their place would be Cody Cameron
and Kris Pearn, both of whom who had worked on the original picture as
story board artist and head of story respectively. As work got underway,
it was revealed that new film would not be based on Barrett's follow up
book, Pickles in Pittsburgh, but would be an original story instead.
The majority of the principle cast would return for Cloudy 2: Revenge of
the Leftovers, including Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan and Neil
Patrick Harris. This time around, Flint joins The Live Corp Company and
finds himself tasked with cleaning up the island which was over run by
food in the first picture. However, upon his return, he discovers his
machine has continued to operate and has begun to create food beasts,
including Tacodiles and Shrimpanzees. With a December 2013 release date
announced, Sony chose to retitle the picture to Cloudy With a Chance of
Meatballs 2 (ensuring there was no confusion as to what the film was).
Its release was then pushed back to February 2014, before finally
settling on a late September debut. With a reduced budget of $78M, and
decent, though not spectacular reviews (it is currently 58% fresh at
Rotten Tomatoes), Meatballs 2 would face almost no direct competition,
save for the long-in-the tooth Planes. That meant there was every chance
it would take the September record that was currently held by the $42M
opener, Hotel Transylvania. However, it soon became apparent that that
wasn't to be the case.<br /><br />
Out to over 4,000 locations, Meatballs 2 got off to a solid, if slightly
unspectacular start on Friday, taking $9.3M during its first 24 hours.
In comparison, the original picture earnt $8.1M in the same time period,
so while the sequel was slightly ahead, it hadn't actually broken out
much further. With matinee showings in play, the film had a stronger
Saturday, making $15.1M, with another $10.5M coming on Sunday. That
meant that after three days on general release, Cloudy With a Chance of
Meatballs 2 had earnt $35M, and while the September record remained with
Hotel Transylvania, this was still a good showing, and stronger than
the $30M made during the original picture's first three days. The movie
will face no direct competition for the entirety of October so has the
potential to run and run, much like Planes has over the last few weeks.
In fact, Meatballs 2 won't face another family feature until Free Birds
on November 1st, at which point it should already be north of $100M.<br /><br />
Prisoners, which stars Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, opened to a
solid $20M last weekend despite an extended runtime and difficult
subject matter. Faced with four new releases, including direct
competition for the older adult market in the guise of Rush, Prisoners
dropped 52% on its second Friday, taking $3.3M in the process. It would
continued to spar with the Ron Howard picture through Saturday,
finishing up in second place on Sunday night with $11.2M (a not-bad drop
of 45% on last weekend). All up, that gives Prisoners a ten day total
of $38.9M, and puts it on track to recover it $46M production cost by
the end of next weekend.<br /><br />
Having opening in a limited capacity last weekend, Rush expanded into
just under 2,300 locations this frame. The film is a biographical work
depicting the rivalry between Formula One drivers James Hunt and Niki
Lauda, during the 1976 world championship. Directed by Ron Howard, and
starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, Rush has seen some of the
best reviews of Howard's career, and has already gone down a storm in
the United Kingdom and other parts of the world, where Formula One is a
much larger draw. During its limited opening it earnt $187K over its
first three days. With expansion on Friday, Rush performed the best of
all the other new releases, slotting into second place with $3.7M.
Strong word of mouth kept it buoyant over the main body of the weekend,
enabling it to add a further $6.6M and bring its total to $10.3M -
though it did ultimately lose out to Prisoners. How it'll fair next
weekend up against Gravity will depend on whether the picture and its
subject matter can break out further into the mainstream. Overseas Rush
has so far made $13M, a figure that should grow with further territory
expansion.<br /><br />
Baggage Claim is a romantic comedy directed by David E. Talbert, and is
based on his book of the same name. Montana Moore wants to ensure she
isn't oldest, still unmarried member of her family, and thanks to
connections at an airline, she sets off on a 30 day - 30,000 mile
odyssey to find a potential suitor - even if it ends up being an
ex-boyfriend. Like Don Jon, Baggage Claim was produced relatively
cheaply, clocking in at around $8.5M. While reviews were generally poor,
there was a chance the film would break out as had happened with the
2012 hit, Think Like A Man. That picture came out of nowhere and made a
staggering $33M during its first three days on release, ending up with a
North American finish of $91M. If the feature could do just a fraction
of that business, it would turn out to be a very profitable release for
Fox Searchlight. Opening at the least number of locations of all of this
week's new releases (2,027), Baggage Claim clashed with Don Jon on
Friday, when it made $3.27M, settling for fifth place. It would make
$5.6M more over the remainder of the frame, giving it an ok three-day
total of $9.3M. On a quieter weekend, the feature may have broken out
much further and cleared $12M. However, with its costs covered during
its opening days, Baggage Claim will turn a profit for the studio, even
if it doesn't stick around for long.<br /><br />
Don Jon is a new romantic-comedy drama, written by, directed by and
starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as its titular character. It follows the
life of Jon Martello, a single guy addicted to pornography, and Barbara
Sugarman (played by Scarlet Johansson), a girl who has a thing for
romance flicks. Jon's week consists of watching pornography, weight
training, one night stands and attending church to confess his sins, but
all that looks to change when he meets Barbara in a bar and is unable
to pick her up. Opting to change tact, he finds himself in unfamiliar
territory when he begins to pursue her, but the pair soon begin to
realise their respective fantasy versions of sex and romance may not
live up to the reality. Levitt began work on Don Jon in 2008, and
received feedback from both Rian Johnson and Christopher Nolan, the
later advising him against directing and acting in the picture for fear
of overwhelming himself. In addition to Johansson, Levitt also cast
Julianne Moore, Brie Larson and Tony Danza, who would play Jon Martello
Snr.<br /><br />
With production getting underway in May 2012, Don Jon made its assured
debut at the Sundance film festival in January 2013, receiving high
praise for Levitt's work both in front of, and behind the camera. That
early word transformed into some great mainstream reviews, and the film
sat on an impressive 82% approval rating prior to its release. While the
film's unconventional subject matter made it a slight harder sell than a
run of the mill romantic comedy (such as this week's Baggage Claim),
the strong word combined with its $6M budget meant Don Jon would need
only a half decent debut to cover all its costs. A $3.29M Friday put it
just $15K ahead of Baggage Claim, and helped it slot into fourth place.
It would make $3.4M on Saturday, and another $2.2M on Sunday, bringing
its overall opening figure to $9M. Given its screen count and
competition (both direct and indirect), this is a decent enough start,
and with those strong reviews, singles Levitt out as a writing/directing
talent to watch.<br /><br />
Unlike the well-received Conjuring (James Wan's other release of 2013)
Insidious Chapter 2 failed to avoid the usual second weekend horror film
collapse, making $13M (a fall of 65%). A week on, with more new
releases thrown into the mix, the Insidious sequel earnt $6.7M. That
brought its cumulative gross to just under $70M. Against a budget of
just $5M, this is a very impressive turn, even with its quick collapse.
It should top out at around $85-90M in North America, with at least half
of that again possible overseas. Next up for director James Wan is a
change of pace, as he takes on the Summer 2014 release, Fast and Furious
7.<br /><br />
The Robert De Niro/Michelle Pfeffier comedy, The Family, dropped down to
seventh place this weekend, making $3.6M. It has now made $31.6M in
North America, against a production budget of $30M. It could see at
least one more frame in the top ten and finish up with around $40-45M.<br /><br />
Spanish language comedy-drama, Instructions Not Included is now the
fourth most successful foreign language film in North America. To date
it has made $38.5M, having added another $3.3M over the last few days.<br /><br />
The Jason Sudekis/Jennifer Aniston flick, We're The Millers, is now in
its eighth weekend in the top ten. It has earnt more than $140M
domestically, with another $95M overseas. In terms of 2013 comedy
releases and the international market, only The Hangover Part III have
made more money.<br /><br />
Lee Daniels' The Butler made $2.4M this weekend, bringing its overall
total to $110.2M, against a budget of $30M. The ensemble drama has had a
very good run over the past month or so, and should end its run with
around $120M.<br /><br />
Managing to crash into thirteenth place from just 308 locations is
Metallica: Through the Never, an Imax thriller-cum-concert movie.
Spliced with footage from their recent tour is a sub-plot which sees
Dane DeHaan as a roadie on a surreal mission for the band. Through The
Never made $1.6M over its opening three days, and expands nationwide
next week.<br /><br />
Looking back to a few older releases, animation-wise Despicable Me 2 now
has a global total of $854M, while Turbo has managed to get up to
$173M. Pixar's Monsters University is now the studio's fourth most
successful picture in North American, having made $265M. It's global
total clocks in at $736M. August's Smurfs sequel could only manage $69M
domestically, but has so far cleared $238M overseas.<br /><br />
While The Wolverine was the lowest grossing X-Men film in North
American, globally it has made $370M, against its $120M production
budget. The Wahlberg-Washington buddy cop actioner, 2 Guns, has made
$74M and is just getting started overseas, where it has so far made
$21M. Having seemingly struggled domestically, Pacific Rim still managed
to clear $101M, with an impressive $305M overseas. World War Z is just
shy of $540M globally, Man of Steel sits at $662M. Summer sleeper Now
You See Me has made a staggering $305M, while The Heat scored $158M in
North America and $64M abroad. Elyisum, which is still in general
release, now has an overall total of $248M (against $120M costs). In
terms of successes, The Conjuring must rate as one of 2013's biggest -
from a budget of $20M, it has a current global figure of $297M.<br /><br />
In terms of disappointments, The Lone Ranger has managed to rack up a
$245M global total, against its $215M cost. Red 2 is at $126M (including
$52M domestically), which wouldn't be too bad had it not cost $84M to
produce. Kick Ass 2 recouped its $28M costs, and made a further $31M
overseas, but RIPD is still a long way short of its $130M costs, having
so far made $70M (split $33M/$37M). Finally, City of Bones stalled at
only $30M in the US, and talk of an already-greenlit sequel quickly
vanished.Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-40146052870427185642013-09-22T13:52:00.001-07:002013-09-22T13:56:51.039-07:00U.S Box Office Report - 20th - 22nd September 2013 1. Prisoners - $21.4M - $21.4M<br />
2. Insidious Chapter 2 - $14.5M - $60.8M<br />
3. The Family - $7M - $25.6M<br />
4. Instructions Not Included- $5.7M - $34.2M<br />
5. Battle of the Year - $5M - $5M<br />
6. We're The Millers - $4.7M - $138.1M<br />
7. The Butler - $4.6M -$106.4M<br />
8. Riddick - $3.6M -$37.2M<br />
9. The Wizard of Oz 3D - $2M - $88.3M<br />
10. Planes - $2.8M - $86.5M<br />
<br />
Another
slightly shorter box office report this weekend. With two releases,
only one of which saw a roll out above 3,000 theatres, there was some
breathing space for last weekend's releases, Insidious Chapter 2 and The
Family. The horror flick got off to a great start and was hoping to
avoid the usual second frame curse. Next weekend already looks set to be
dominated by the Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs sequel, while
further ahead we have the release of the long-awaited Gravity.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Prisoners
is a crime thriller directed by Incendies helmer, Denis Villeneuve. It
stars Hugh Jackman as a father whose daughter, along with her friend,
are kidnapped one Thanksgiving. With the investigation, led by Jake
Gyllenhaal's Detective Loki seemingly coming to nought, Jackman's Keller
Dover decides to take matters into his own hands and attempt to get an
admittance of guilt from the only potential suspect of the crime - no
matter what the cost. Villeneuve has been making films for a number of
years, with his first feature, Un 32 août sur terre, seeing release in
1998. It's arguable that it was the success of the aforementioned
Incendies, about twins looking into the life of their mother, that
brought him to Hollywood's attention. Working from a script by Aaron
Guzikowski, the director filled out the remainder of his cast with Maria
Bello, Viola Davis and Terence Howard, the two latter actors playing
the parents of the other kidnapped child. More of a slow burn dramatic
thriller than something like Ransom, the picture received very strong
notices, particularly for Jackman and Paul Dano, who plays the chief
suspect. Prisoners was made for $46M and would be entering a relatively
quiet market, with little in the way of new competition. However, a
difficult subject matter and 150 minute+ runtime had the potential to be
a stumbling block.<br />
<br />
All that said, Prisoners got off to a solid
start on Friday, when it made $7M - easily a strong enough figure to
secure first place. It's also proof if needed, that an audience will
turn out for intelligently made adult drama. The picture managed to keep
up the pace over Saturday and into Sunday, making a further $14.4M and
bringing its opening total to $21.4M. According to reports, that's
actually a little higher than the studio were expecting ($15-18M was
bandied about prior to opening). Prisoners is also the type of film that
could play well on weekdays. Where it goes from here will be
interesting - if word of mouth catches it should hold well next weekend,
but will also be facing an expanded Rush, another drama already picking
up some great reviews. For now, its $21M is a very strong starting
point.<br />
<br />
Insidious Chapter 2 opened incredibly well last weekend,
making $40M in its first three days. But unlike director James Wan's
summer hit, The Conjuring, the word of mouth on this sequel wasn't as
strong, and that led to some low weekday takings - the worst day being
Thursday when it made $1.2M. However, given the film cost only $5M to
make, even a complete collapse in week 2 wouldn't cause too many
sleepless nights for studio Film District. A $4.6M Friday haul saw
Chapter 2 drop a very high 77% on its opening day. That fall was to be
expected given how big that first day was, but it also meant the picture
was performing to the second weekend curse that befalls most horror
features. By Sunday night its total was $14M (an overall fall of 64%),
bringing its ten day figure to $60.8M. While obviously not as strong as
the aforementioned Conjuring, Insidious Chapter 2 has already surpassed
the entire theatrical tally of the first picture. With that ultra low
budget in mind, the film will have also recouped its print and
advertising costs, and should now be looking at real profit. $100M
certainly isn't going to happen, but an $80-85M finish is well within
its grasp.<br />
<br />
With an ok start of $14M, The Family kept itself clear
of flop territory last weekend, but like the Insidious sequel,
struggled to keep up that momentum during the week. By the eve of its
second frame, it was sitting on a running total of $18.6M. Its second
Friday saw the picture bumped down to third place, making $2M in the
process. It would add another $3.1M on Saturday, with $1.7M Sunday,
bringing its weekend total to $7M. That means since release The Family
has made $25.6M. At this point it is safe to say it'll cover its $30M
production costs but won't break out much further from here - though as
mentioned last weekend, it could play well overseas. Up next for De Niro
is Last Vegas along side Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin
Kline.<br />
<br />
Spanish language comedy-drama, Instructions Not Included
saw no further expansion this weekend, but did manage to move up the
chart, and went on to earn $5.7M. That brings its cumulative gross to
$34.2M, a figure that may well open the doors for more Spanish language
films in the coming months.<br />
<br />
Our only other major release this
weekend is Battle of the Year, a dance drama directed by Benson Lee. It
was actually Lee's 2007 documentary, Planet B-Boy, about break dancing
culture and its 'Battle of the Year' competition that served as the
basis for this movie. Back in 2009 Screen Gems began to entertain the
idea of a movie (perhaps buoyed somewhat by the success of the Step Up
movie series) despite break dancing facing a decline in North America.
It would be another two years before things began to fall into place, at
which point it was announced that Josh Holloway and Chris Brown had
signed on to appear. The story follows a duo who are convinced that they
can lead any team to victory with the proper coaching. The picture was
actually shot almost two years ago and was initially set for release in
the final quarter of 2012 (the first trailer for Battle of The Year
debuted in July of last year) but was ultimately delayed. Out to just
over 2,000 screens, the picture made only $1.5M on Friday - which is
some way off the $4.9M made by the most recent Step Up movie on its
opening day in July 2012. Over the remainder of the frame it managed to
make just $3.5M, to give it a weak 3-day total of $5M. Battle of the
Year might be lucky enough to see another round in the top ten but will
be gone shortly after. While it won't recoup its $20M budget
domestically, it should perform well on DVD and like the Step Up series,
could play well overseas - if it sees a release there.<br />
<br />
Comedy
We're The Millers crossed $135M this weekend, an exceptional amount of
money for a film many were dismissive of prior to its release. Combined
with its international take, it has now made over $222M, surpassing the
global figure made by summer hit, The Heat.<br />
<br />
Lee Daniels' The
Butler added another $4.3M this weekend. That gives the Forest Whitaker
ensemble drama an overall total of $106.4M. While it won't reach the
dizzy heights of The Help, this is a very solid performance. Expect to
see The Butler rise again when awards season gets underway.<br />
<br />
Vin
Diesel's third turn as Riddick has all but made back its $38M production
budget domestically. In its third weekend the R-rated action thriller
made $3.6M, bringing its 17 day total to $37.1M. It might see one more
frame inside the top ten. Overseas Riddick has so far made a similar
$36.9M. Whether that combined figure will be enough for a further
low-budget sequel remains to be seen.<br />
<br />
Managing to crack the top
ten from just 318 Imax screens is the re-release of The Wizard of Oz.
The all time classic, which was also converted to 3D, managed to earn
$3M for a ninth place finish this weekend.<br />
<br />
Planes has now made
$86.5M in North America, with a further $69M abroad. It'll leave the top
ten just in time for the Meatballs sequel to take its place.<br />
<br />
In a
very limited release, the Ron Howard Formula One drama, Rush, which
charts the rivalry shared between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, made $200K
on only 5 screens. It will expand nationwide next weekend.Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-44965184887723186062013-09-15T13:33:00.002-07:002013-09-15T13:42:12.211-07:00U.S Box Office Report - 13th - 15th September 20131. Insidious Chapter 2 - $41M - $41M<br />
2. The Family - $14.5M - $14.5M<br />
3. Riddick - $7M -$31.3M<br />
4. The Butler - $5.5M -$100M<br />
5. We're The Millers - $5.4M - $131.6M<br />
6. Instructions Not Included- $4.2M - $20.3M<br />
7. Planes - $3M - $82.9M<br />
8. One Direction: This Is Us: Extended Fan Cut - $2.4M - $26.8M<br />
9. Elysium - $2M - $88.3M<br />
10. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters- $1.8M - $62M<br />
<br />
Two
new movies saw release this weekend, both hoping to shake up a somewhat
stagnating box office. The supernatural themed Insidious Chapter 2 took
on Robert De Niro & Co. in The Family. Last weekend's winner,
Riddick, was hoping for a decent second frame after its $19M start.
Holdovers continued to play well thanks to a lack of new blood and with
only a few films due for release in the coming weeks, they may be around
a while longer yet.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The first Insidious movie was released in
April 2011, and while it didn't set the box office alight with its $13M
opening, thanks to an ultra low budget of $1.5M, it became one of the
most profitable movies of the year. Directed by James Wan and starring
Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, the supernatural drama ended up making
$54M in North America, with a further $43M overseas. A sequel was
quickly greenlit, but a script would take almost a year to come together
- partly due to the producer's insistence on working with both James
Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell once again (the duo had first worked
together on the original Saw movie). In the interim, Wan directed The
Conjuring, which would become a sleeper smash in the summer of 2013.
With work on that film completed, he got stuck into pre-production on
what was now known as Insidious Chapter Two. All the principle cast
would return, including Wilson, Byrne, Lin Shaye and Barbra Hershey,
with shooting set to commence in January 2013. While it received a
budgetary increase, Insidious Chapter 2 was still a very cheap movie to
produce with costs clocking in at around $5M. The plot this time around
would see the Lambert family hoping to discover an old secret that has
some how brought them perilously close to the spirit world. In an
interesting marketing manoeuvre, the trailer was debuted to a live
audience at the Linda Vista Community Hospital, where much of the film
was shot. With little in the way of competition, the picture was
expected to take the spot with ease - though memories of The Conjuring
(and to a lesser degree, You're Next) were still very fresh in the
memory of cinema-goers. Reviews weren't as strong either - the original
scored 66% approval from critics but the sequel saw little more than
half that figure. All that aside, with a $5M budget attached, Chapter 2
would need just one solid weekend to break even and be well on its way
to recouping its advertising and print costs too.<br />
<br />
And it got it,
in spades. A blistering $20M start on Friday instantly set aside any
worries that recent horror fare may have caused. In a single day,
Insidious Chapter 2 made more money than its predecessor earnt in its
first eight days on release. It's also more than Wan's earlier summer
hit, The Conjuring, made on its first day as well ($16.9M). Film
District could have closed the film on Saturday morning and still be
rolling in profit. Obviously there was the front loading factor to
consider, and that left some wondering if the film had the legs to take
the September record from Hotel Transylvania, which opened to $42.5M
back in 2012. A $13.5M Saturday haul pushed Chapter 2's box office to
$33.5M, and by Sunday night it had scored another $7.3M, giving it an
astonishing $41M weekend total. That figure is almost three quarters of
what the original picture made during its entire theatrical run. While
it didn't take the September record, as we saw with the aforementioned
Conjuring, the sky is now the limit, and if word of mouth sustains the
movie in the coming days and weeks, we could be looking at a $75-100M
earner. Insidious Chapter 2 is our number one film this weekend.<br />
<br />
The
only other major release this weekend is Luc Besson's The Family, which
stars Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones. The film
follows the Blake family as they relocate (yet again) as part of the
witness protection programme. Ex-Mafia boss Fred Blake (De Niro) is a
marked man thanks to snitching on kingpin Don Luchese a number of years
earlier. However, he and (by extension) his family can't seem to leave
the 'old days' behind them and have blown their witness protection cover
on a number of occasions. Relocating them to Normandy, their FBI minder
Tom Quintiliani (Jones) hopes things will be different this time
around....Working from a script by Tonino Benacquista (who wrote the
book on which the screenplay was based), pre-production got underway in
the first half of 2012 on what was at that time titled Malavita
(translated as Badfellas). Both Besson and Benacquista had the idea of
De Niro and Pfeiffer for the leads, and described their eventual casting
as being "like a dream". Glee star Dianna Agron took on the role of
daughter Belle while John D'Leo was cast as Warren, Frank and Maggie's
son. Filming took place primarily in France, with the picture being
amongst the first to shoot at Besson's Cité du Cinéma studio complex.
Given the talent involved, hype was kept was kept fairly low key, with
two trailers being issued domestically (standard and red band). Reviews
weren't great, with only 32% of critics finding something they liked
about the picture. Furthermore, even though it was entering its sixth
weekend, We're The Millers was still a fairly dangerous proposition in
the comedy stakes. In The Family's favour was a relatively modest budget
of $30M, meaning that only a complete disaster would stop it recouping
its production costs in the long term.<br />
<br />
While the Insidious sequel
managed to hoover up most of the box office business this weekend, The
Family still did ok. It opened to $5.4M on Friday, slotting into second
place. Things kept steady over Saturday and into Sunday, and it wound up
with a $14.5M total for the weekend. That's a much stronger start than
De Niro's last high profile release, The Big Wedding, which opened to
$7M back in April, and made only $21M throughout its entire theatrical
run. With only Prisoners receiving a wide release next weekend, if The
Family can avoid a large drop, it should be within throwing distance of
that $30M cost. It could also play well overseas, especially in Besson's
native France.<br />
<br />
Despite taking the top spot last weekend,
Riddick's $19M was seen as a little underwhelming - even though the
series has never been a major earner. By Thursday, on the eve of its
second frame, it managed just $1M, bringing its overall total to $24.2M.
A Friday take of $2.2M saw the sequel plunge 70% on the same day last
weekend and give up the top spot to Insidious 2. Over Saturday and into
Sunday it would take $4.8M more, to bring its second weekend total to
$7M (an overall fall of 63%). All up, that means Riddick has made $31.2M
after ten days on release and looks likely to recoup its $38M costs but
make little more. Diesel's renewed appeal overseas thanks to the Fast
& Furious franchise should help things out to a degree, but like
Kick Ass 2 a few weeks ago, this is a sequel for the fan base, and few
outside of that appear to have shown up.<br />
<br />
Lee Daniels' epic, The
Butler, based loosely on the life of White House butler Eugene Allen,
earned another $5.5M this weekend, allowing it to cross the $100M mark
in the process. Thanks to its relatively low production budget of
$25-30M, The Butler will turn a good profit for The Weinstein Company,
and could yet add a few more awards to their cabinet. A domestic finish
of around $120M looks to be on the cards, though how it'll play overseas
is yet to be seen.<br />
<br />
Even with fresh R-rated comedy competition
from The Family, We're The Millers was still able to make $5.4M, in
this, its sixth frame on general release. That brings its cumulative
gross to $131.6M. Like The Butler, this has been a solid domestic hit
for studio Warner Bros. and is stepping up abroad too, where it has so
far earnt $55M.<br />
<br />
Surprise hit Instructions Not Included expanded
again this weekend, into 933 theatres, and earnt another $4.2M. That's a
fall of 48% on what it made last frame and brings its total to $26.5M.
Whether it'll receive much more expansion remains to be seen, but
there's no denying this was a film that caught many off guard.
Curiously, even though it has only been in theatres since the 30th of
August, it is already the sixth most successful foreign language film in
North America - and looks set to surpass the $33M made by Amelie within
in the next couple of weeks.<br />
<br />
Planes' $3M take this weekend
brings its overall total $82.9M. Internationally it has made $45M and
with merchandising (and a sequel next year) factored in, should turn out
to be a nice little spin off for Disney. It should see one more frame
in the top ten, just in time for Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 to
take up the family film baton.<br />
<br />
Thanks to Sony releasing an
'Extended Fan Cut', the One Direction movie managed to hang on to a top
ten place this weekend, making $2.4M. The concert movie, following the
day to day routine of the band, along with footage from one of their O2
arena gigs, has now made $26M in North America, with a further $31M
overseas.<br />
<br />
Matt Damon starrer Elysium won't hit $100M
domestically, falling some way short of its $115M costs. Had Sony and
director Neill Blomkamp managed to produce the film for around $60M, its
$88.3M North American total would be deemed a victory of sorts. As it
happens, it looks like being a minor failure, though all concerned will
be buoyed by its $144M+ haul from overseas.<br />
<br />
Rounding us out is
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Made for $90M, the fantasy adaptation
now has a global total of $164M. However, it seems unlikely that we'll
see any further chapters in the series, unless they can be produced much
more cheaply.<br />
<br />Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-6206725179813971092013-09-08T14:00:00.001-07:002013-09-08T14:00:19.796-07:00U.S Box Office Report - 6th - 8th Sept 20131. Riddick - $18.6M -$18.6M<br />2. The Butler - $8.9M -$91.9M<br />3. Instructions Not Included- $8.1M - $20.3M<br />4. We're The Millers - $7.9M - $123.8M<br />5. Planes - $4.2M - $79.2M<br />6. One Direction: This Is Us - $4.1M - $23.9M<br />7. Elysium - $3.1M - $85M<br />8. Blus Jasmine - $2.6M - $25.4M<br />9. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters- $4.3M - $14.7M<br />10. The World's End- $4.7M - $16.5M<br /><br />Another
relatively quiet weekend with just one major release, leaving the older
pictures to battle it out amongst themselves. The One Direction movie
was set to falter in its second frame as a result of heavy front loading
over its first three days, while Lionsgate expanded the surprise hit,
Instructions Not Included. Next weekend brings horror and comedy, while
further ahead is the Hugh Jackman drama, Prisoners, along with Rush, the
Ron Howard Formula 1 feature based on the rivalry between James Hunt
and Niki Lauda.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />The character of Riddick first appeared in the
2000 low budget cult hit, Pitch Black, which starred Vin Diesel as the
titular anti-hero. Made for $23M, it went on to gross $39M in North
America, before having a strong showing on DVD. It was the film that put
the actor on the map, having previously only featured in a supporting
role in Saving Private Ryan and as the voice of The Iron Giant (in terms
of mainstream features). A year later his star power was cemented with
The Fast & The Furious, the first film in a series whose sixth entry
made $787M in the summer of 2013. A further franchise looked to be on
the cards when Diesel took the lead role in spy thriller XXX. And even
though it made an impressive $277M, he chose not to return for the
sequel (he would not appear in Tokyo Drift in a major capacity either).
In the meantime, there had been talk of expanding the Riddick universe,
and in 2004, both the actor and writer/director David Twohy returned for
the big budget Chronicles of Riddick. The film sought to explain some
of the character's background, while building on the mythology. But with
the increased budget ($105M) came a PG-13 rating, which some felt went
against everything the violent character stood for. Opening the week
after Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it got off to a pretty
decent start of $24M, but quickly vanished, leaving theatres with only
$57M in total. A similar figure overseas did little to help matters, and
Diesel's star power began to wane. He would make just three films over
the next five years but talk of a second Riddick sequel refused to die.<br /><br />During
this time, the actor approached Universal with a view to buying the
rights to the character and his universe, and while they didn't want to
produce another feature, they also didn't want anyone else doing it
either. However, in a twist of fate, he ended up getting a better deal
on not one but two franchises. When Tokyo Drift tested poorly, the
studio approached Diesel for a cameo role, offering him a producing gig
(and script input) on any future F&F sequels, while sweetening the
deal by offering him the same role on any potential Riddick movie. In
the intervening years, like Twohy, he would mention in interviews that a
third Riddick feature was in the early stages of development, and that
it would be a low budget, Pitch Black-style production. A triumphant
return to the Fast & Furious franchise in 2009 put both the actor
and that series back on the map. By November of the same year, Twohy
announced that the script for a new Riddick movie was complete and that
pre-production would soon get underway. Yet it would take almost two
years (and another smash hit Fast & Furious movie) before things
actually started moving forward. While Universal were now happy to
offload producing rights, they weren't interested in putting money into
the feature. This resulted in Diesel raising some of the money himself
by way of selling off the overseas distribution rights, along with
putting his own cash into the production.<br /><br /> The budget for what
was now known simply as Riddick, came in at between $34-38M. The
R-rating was also back in place, with all concerned promising a tighter,
leaner flick more in line with the original film. In September 2011 it
was announced that Karl Urban would return as Vaako. He'd be joined by
Katie Sackhoff and Matt Nable, with a shooting start date set for
January 2012. Even then, budget problems threatened to derail the
picture, forcing Diesel to put up his house as collateral while things
could be sorted out (funding was eventually secured, and Universal would
step in to help too - though the size of the investment meant their own
risks were limited). By April, post-production work was underway, but
it would be almost a year before the first trailer would debut. The plot
this time around would see Riddick left for dead on a desert planet,
and soon discovering he had a huge bounty on his head. He finds himself
forced into battle, before setting in motion a much bigger scheme of his
own. With a quiet September release slot in place, not to mention that
modest budget, Riddick would only need a half decent opening to see
success. Furthermore, thanks to the huge popularity of the Fast &
Furious series, Diesel was now a major player on the international
market - a place that had become a whole new landscape since the 2004
sequel.<br /><br />Opening on Friday, Riddick got off to an ok, if somewhat
soft start, making $7.3M. In comparison, Chronicles made $9.8M, while
Pitch Black scored $3.1M on their respective opening days. The picture
added $7.2M on Saturday, and another $4.1M on Sunday, bringing its three
day total to $18.6M (around $6M less than Chronicles). Were this a
higher budgeted movie, this would certainly be a disappointing start,
but by keeping things cheap, Riddick should be fine, even with this
slightly underwhelming opening. Truth be told, this is probably around
what all concerned were expecting anyway - as previous figures proved,
the franchise was never a major money spinner. It'll go up against
Insidious Chapter 2 next frame but with a half decent drop, Riddick
should get some where close to its costs domestically. Overseas figures
should prove interesting, especially with Diesel's Fast and Furious
success. Ultimately the film will turn a profit, and if a further sequel
can reign in the budget just as well, we may not have heard the last of
Richard B. Riddick.<br /><br />With a lack of major releases, the rest of
the top ten still contains a number of older releases. Lee Daniel's The
Butler performed the best of them, making another $8.9M this weekend.
That brings its total to an impressive $91.9M, with $100M now assured.
For a film which had struggled to raise its $25M production budget, this
must be a sweet reward. It should see a few weeks more in the top ten,
before raising its head once again around award's season time.<br /><br />Thanks
to some incredible word of mouth, backed up by its A+ Cinemascore,
Instructions Not Included managed to move up to third place during the
week even though it was on less than 350 screens. Knowing they had a
good thing going on, Lionsgate expanded the film into a further 367
location and were rewarded with a $8.1M return (an increase of 3.2% on
last weekend's haul). That gives the Spanish-language release about a
man and his daughter facing up to the return of the child's birth
mother, a running tally of $20.3M. Given that there are only two
releases next frame, Instruction Not Included may well expand further.<br /><br />In
its fifth weekend on general release, comedy We're The Millers added
$7.9M - a fall of only 38% on last weekend. The picture, which features
Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudekis was made for $37M and now sits on a
domestic total of $123.8M. A strong finish of around $140-145M looks to
be on the cards. Overseas it has already earnt over $40M.<br /><br />Again,
thanks to being the only family movie in wide release, Planes managed to
make $4.2M this weekend, bringing its overall total to $79.2M. Chances
are it won't be around to face the Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
sequel at the end of the month, but will still end up making around $90M
come the end of its theatrical run.<br /><br />One Direction: This Is Us
may have opened quite well last weekend but before Saturday was out, it
was already showing signs of major front-loading (it actually slipped
down to fifth place on Sunday). While it had a decent Monday thanks to
the Labour Day holiday (it made $2.2M), it had collapsed to $385K just
two days later. On its second Friday the docu-concert movie made $1.1M,
an horrific (and near unprecedented) fall of 87% on the same day last
weekend. It could add only $3M over the remainder of the frame to bring
its total to $4.1M. That means after ten days on release the picture has
made $23.9M. While its fall was perhaps a little harder than expected,
given its $10M production costs and a further $26M in takings from
overseas, it should end up making a tidy profit for all concerned - and
that's before it hits the home market.<br /><br />Elysium dropped down to
seventh place this weekend, making $3.1M. The Neill Blomkamp picture has
now earnt $85M in North America, with another $100M overseas. Next up
for star Matt Damon is a role in the ensemble drama The Monument Men,
along with a turn in Terry Gilliam's The Zero Theorem.<br /><br />Thanks to
that lack of new releases, Woody Allen's well received drama, Blue
Jasmine, which stars Cate Blanchett, managed to crash back into the top
ten, earning $2.6M from just over a thousand theatres. It has so far
made $25M and along with Midnight in Paris, Matchpoint and Vicky
Christina Barcelona, is one of Allen's bigger releases in the last
twenty five years.<br /><br />The Percy Jackson sequel, Sea of Monsters hung
in there for one more frame, adding $2.5M and pushing its total to just
below $60M domestically. Overseas it is approaching $100M, which will
save the $90M production from major financial disappointment.<br /><br />Finally
this weekend, Edgar Wright's The World's End, which stars Simon Pegg
and Nick Frost, made $2.3M, giving it a running tally of $21.7M in North
America. It will surpass the $23M made by Hot Fuzz thanks in part to
its great word of mouth, but see little more. Abroad it has already made
almost $20M, which is incidentally what it is said to have cost to
produce.<br />Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2672723031357708411.post-90831584186959272932013-09-01T14:10:00.002-07:002013-09-02T00:23:51.122-07:00U.S Box Office Report - 30th Aug - 1st Sept 20131. One Direction: This Is Us - $17M - $17M<br />
2. The Butler - $14.7M -$74M<br />
3. We're The Millers - $12.6M - $109.5M<br />
4. Planes - $7.7M - $70.8M<br />
5. Instructions Not Included- $7.5M - $7.5M<br />
6. Elysium - $6.3M - $78.4M<br />
7. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - $5.2M - $22.6M<br />
8. The World's End- $4.7M - $16.5M<br />
9. Getaway - $4.5M - $4.5M<br />
10. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters- $4.3M - $14.7M<br />
<br />
A much shorter box office report this week. As August comes to a close,
we have a somewhat quiet release frame before we gear up for the likes
of Riddick, Prisoners and The Family in the coming weeks. But that
doesn't mean no surprises - far from it in fact. The Butler and We're
The Millers both continued to play strong, but it was a Spanish language
comedy-drama that will be making the headlines over the coming days.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The biggest release of the weekend is the One Direction concert movie/fly on the wall documentary, This is Us. The picture was announced back in November 2012, with Supersize Me director Morgan Spurlock at the helm (Spurlock also produced along with X-Factor/music mogul Simon Cowell). As well as featuring footage from the band's O2 arena concert, it also tracks their rise to stardom, and the day to day happenings of being a One Direction band member. Concert movies tend to have a mixed time at the box office, with front loading being an obvious issue. The most successful in recent times is Never Say Never, the Justin Bieber doc that opened to $29M back in 2011. On the flip side, Kate Perry: Part of Me opened to $7M before heading to a final gross of $25M. This Is Us got off to a good start, making $2.7M on Thursday leading to an $8.9M Friday (which includes the aforementioned $2.7M). The big initial start meant the fans had turned out to see the picture as soon as they could. This led to a decline over the remainder of the weekend, leaving This is Us with a $17M opening total. Given that the picture cost only $10M to produce, this will be a very profitable release even if the decline continues at the present rate. And while it's unlikely to compete with Never Say Never ($73M finish) or Michael Jackson: This Is It ($72M), a $45M domestic haul is certainly in play, with similar or better abroad almost a certainty (it has already made $14.5M).<br />
<br />
Lee Daniels' The Butler slips into second place, adding another $3.6M on Friday, which led to a weekend finish of $14.7M (an incredible fall of just 10% on its last frame). All up, the picture, which features Forest Whitaker as a long-serving White House butler has now made $74M. While it isn't playing as well as The Help did (especially during the weekdays), it is already close to tripling its production budget and should continue to pick up press (and box office) when award season comes around.<br />
<br />
Late summer sleeper, We're The Millers managed to cross $100M on Friday, its 24 day on general release. It went on to score $12.6M this weekend, a minuscule drop of only 3.4%. The comedy, which features Jason Sudekis and Jennifer Aniston is already more successful than This Is The End and will have surpassed the $112M made by The Hangover Part 3 before next weekend. We're The Millers now has a cumulative gross of $109.5M.<br />
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Despite being the only family movie with a major location count, Planes is still struggling to make much headway. In this, its fourth weekend on general release, it made $7.7M, bringing its total to date to $70.8M. It should manage at least another couple of weekends in the top ten and end up at around $85M, which admittedly is a much better finish than was predicted from its lacklustre opening weekend.<br />
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The major surprise this weekend isn't One Direction or Getaway, but a Spanish language film entitled Instructions Not Included. The pictures follows a man who has made a new life for himself and his daughter (who was left on his doorstep a number of years earlier), having to come to terms with the return of the child's birth mother. The limited release didn't even have enough reviews at the time of writing to score a Rotten Tomatoes rating, but its A+ Cinemascore (a rarity) already speaks volumes. Out to a tiny 347 locations, the Lionsgate release made a stunning $7.5M. Expect wider expansion to follow as soon as is possible.<br />
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Elysium, the Matt Damon sci-fi thriller, scored $6.3M this weekend, to bring its overall total to $78.4M. Given its $115M production budget, and the huge success of Blomkamp's previous picture District 9, this has to rank as something of a disappointment for Sony. Overseas it is currently approaching $100M.<br />
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Twilight-wannabe The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones failed to make much impact outside of its literary fanbase last weekend. A week on the picture fell 54% on the previous Friday, making only $1.4M. It could add just $3.8M more over Saturday and Sunday, for a weekend figure of $5.2M. After 12 days on general release, City of Bones has made $22.6M, and all but doomed any chance of a sequel.<br />
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The final part of Edgar Wright's Cornetto trilogy, At World's End, opened to $8.8M last frame, but tumbled a harsh 61% on its second Friday, making $1.3M. The film, which stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, grossed $3.4M over the weekend proper, to bring its total to $4.7M. After ten days on general release, The World's End has made $16.5M and may yet struggle to outgross Hot Fuzz, which earnt $23M back in 2007.<br />
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The other major release this weekend is Getaway, a high speed thriller starring Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez. When his wife is kidnapped, former race driver Brent Magna (Hawke) goes back behind the wheel in order to do the bidding of a mysterious man. Aided by computer hacker, The Kid (Gomez) he finds himself in a race against time to save the one dearest to him. Getaway was shot in two parts in May and September of 2012, with the first trailer debuting in early summer. While Hawke saw financial and critical success with two earlier 2013 releases (The Purge and Before Midnight), he couldn't make anything out of Getaway. Critics slammed the picture, and it received only a 2% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. It opened in a weak seventh place on Friday, making $1.4M. By the end of play Sunday it was sitting on a $4.5M total, and is already done, even at this early stage. <br />
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Rounding out the top ten is Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, which made $4.4M this weekend, bringing its overall total to $54.9M (with a further $82M abroad).<br />
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The only other somewhat major release this week was the Eric Bana starrer, Closed Circuit. The film, which follows the investigation, conspiracy and aftermath of a terrorist attack in London, was put out to 870 locations on Wednesday. It has since made $3M, and due partly to its low screen count, couldn't manage to crack the top ten (thought that excuse doesn't seem to have applied to Instructions Not Included).Box Office Voodoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07992391270920535124noreply@blogger.com0