Film Features

Exactly a year ago, when we took a look at The Weinstein Company during this Studio Series, we talked about the fact that the company was in the midst of a terrible year, and was strapped for cash. Three hundred and sixty-five days later, little has changed.

“Arnie always found a way to transcend his often mindless material, which made us appreciate and adore him that much more. So while snobby movie critics rolled their eyes at his corny catchphrases as the ’80s came to an end, for us Arnold fans, each film felt like you were catching up with an old friend,” writes John Steven Rocha.

In a landscape where big names rule what was once a way to “break in”, Neil Turitz ponders what it means to be an independent film these days.

Heading into the second half of the summer, Netflix is set to release some classics alongside their original projects that many have been waiting anxiously for.

The master plan Rothman has put in motion to set Sony up for future success might not be working so well at the moment, but the strategy behind it is sound, explains Neil Turitz.

“Certain casting decisions will always be met with derision, but racist and misogynistic banter should be unacceptable, same as bullying actors and creators on social media or in person at panels,” writes John Steven Rocha.

We’re not going to throw names out there, but we can’t really see Kathryn Bigelow stooping to direct a Bond movie, so hold that hot take this week as Detroit hits theaters.

It’s tough to have one’s cake and eat it, too, but Focus is certainly trying. If you doubt it, look at the success of 2016 and, though the first seven months of 2017 have been the company’s worst since 2010, the list of upcoming releases is as impressive as anyone’s. In the 15 years since its creation, Focus it is responsible for some of the very best examples of what independent film is and can be.

“When you add it all up and factor in the role the internet plays in all of this, it means the exclusivity and uniqueness that used to be the main attraction of San Diego Comic-Con since 1970 is over,” writes John Steven Rocha.

In the midst of a mostly humdrum news weekend that was focused primarily on Comic-Con, a story suggested that Ben Affleck’s days are numbered as Batman in the DCEU. Everyone involved denied it, of course, when the question came up at the Justice League panel and presentation in Hall H on Saturday, but the writing has been on the wall for a while now.

Right now, William Shakespeare is as in vogue as he’s been in quite some time. There are two current TV shows about him, a plethora of stage productions (garnering attention for a variety of reasons), and several film adaptations in the works. Want a quality IP? Look no further than this dead English guy.

“To paraphrase Queen Hippolyta, “we do deserve her,” and every great female-led superhero movie that Hollywood now makes because of Wonder Woman. If that’s not heroic, I don’t know what is,” writes John Steven Rocha.

What’s interesting about Open Road’s history is how much of an outlier a film like Spotlight was, and whether or not anything like it will come from them again anytime soon. Regardless, what is very evident is that the soft grosses of the last couple years can’t persist for too much longer, or else we could see Open Road fall to the second division of indie distributors.

Mo-cap work demands more of actors emotionally, physically and mentally, because they are using their imagination to create the environment, establish relationships and set the scene. The visual effects exist to serve the physical performance, not “enhance” it, writes John Rocha.

Veteran directors Michael Mann and Danny Boyle are two of the best in the business if you catch them on the right day.

A big part of success is finding the right plan and sticking with it to fruition. If we judge Roadside by that measure, and by the quality of the projects they put on screens, then we also have to acknowledge that Roadside Attractions is one of the better examples out there of just what an independent film distributor should be.

What’s amazing about Spider-Man: Homecoming is just how brilliantly the film captures the feeling, the spirit, the tone, the essence of high school, in a way that none of the other five movies featuring the character ever have. It’s at least partly, for this reason, that the movie was such a box office sensation over the weekend, because it was putting a new spin on an old character.

If this is the midterms section of the summer movie season, we’re looking at a D, and that grade is right on the precipice of a D-minus. Because we’re bored. We are bored to tears of the same old, same old. It’s possible that the second half of the summer could surprise us and come up with enough hits to balance things out, but don’t count on it. Truth be told, it’s just too late to save 2017.

Fox Searchlight is not in any trouble, but they need to make sure their miserable 2016 doesn’t become a habit. However, both the company’s history and its upcoming slate suggests the future is far more promising than the past.

Edgar Wright did something right by leaving Marvel. MRC did something right by giving him the chance to do something different with Baby Driver, and Sony did something right by putting it in theaters for us to enjoy as proof that people still desperately want to see original content.

In the world of independent film, and the distributors involved, having a definitive identity is a major part of the battle. It’s a battle that, for now, A24 appears to be winning.

Any studio these days needs anything it can get, in regard to both profit and prestige, but at Warner Bros., new head Toby Emmerich is making various big decisions, such as no longer working with “auteur directors” who have final cut, might not be such a good thing.

Does Lucasfilm have itself a Director Problem? Because let’s face it — at this point, what has become obvious is that the vision to be fulfilled, from here on out, is Kennedy’s, and woe be to any director who thinks differently.

When it comes to the recent shake-up of the upcoming Han Solo film, it isn’t fair to blame either party, even if it is more exciting to take the sides of creators against a bureaucratic power. But if one’s going to play in the sandbox, they also need to play by the rules.

Things aren’t perfect at STX, far from it. But considering how long it’s been around, and how far it’s come in that time, things could be a whole heck of a lot worse, with a future that doesn’t look anywhere near as bright as STX’s does.

Ultimately, any time you’re telling a story based on something that actually happened, it’s a delicate balance. Inherently, there has to be some fictionalization involved, but there should also be an adherence to the spirit of the truth. The use of Jada Pinkett-Smith in All Eyez on Me, instead, feels exploitative.

Recently, a Spider-Man: Homecoming spoiler was revealed thanks to the movie’s novelization. But when a studio like Sony is so secretive about its product, thus buying into the idea of Spoiler Culture, it cannot be nearly as careless about the marketing and licensing attached to said product.

Considering we are living in a progressive age where Wonder Woman is slaying the box office and gender equality is rightfully taking center stage, Cars 3 gives an unexpected dose of female empowerment. At the movie’s press conference, stars Cristela Alonzo and Kerry Washington talked about how the for the Cars universe, the future is female.

See, a diamond heist factors into the plot, and we’re never quite sure what becomes of the expensive gems.

What to make of an outfit like Lionsgate? The company has established itself very firmly as the maker of mid-level films that the studios don’t often make anymore, as well as genre fare and, now and again, the kind of franchises that lead to huge international box office, but it still can’t be lumped in with the Big Six.