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Post by the light works on Sept 15, 2014 13:49:05 GMT
Onto the next box office dud...Opening in December is the remake of "Annie". The problem is that this is a time-honored movie/broadway show that everyone knows the plotline for. The remake appears to be a case of "lets overpay a bunch of actors that had their glory days five years ago (Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne) and completely put the plot on its head". Original plot: Daddy Warbucks was a multi-millionaire industrial. Annie lived at an orphanage. New plot: William Stacks is a millionaire political gadfly. Annie lives in an apartment with her foster family. My prediction is that it will have a big opening weekend, but attendance will quickly dropoff. I have already marked my calendar to be sure to ignore the premiere.
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Sept 15, 2014 13:59:32 GMT
Onto the next box office dud...Opening in December is the remake of "Annie". The problem is that this is a time-honored movie/broadway show that everyone knows the plotline for. The remake appears to be a case of "lets overpay a bunch of actors that had their glory days five years ago (Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne) and completely put the plot on its head". Original plot: Daddy Warbucks was a multi-millionaire industrial. Annie lived at an orphanage. New plot: William Stacks is a millionaire political gadfly. Annie lives in an apartment with her foster family. My prediction is that it will have a big opening weekend, but attendance will quickly dropoff. I have already marked my calendar to be sure to ignore the premiere. Some fansites and wikis are trying to stretch some of the original details to fit the new plot. One fan site claims that Daddy Warbucks real name was originally Oliver Stacks and that Jamie Foxx's character being named 'William Stacks' follows suit. This is not true, the character's official full name is Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks. Others keep confusing the terms orphan & foster, which are not the same. They will say Annie was an orphan but Ms Halligan was her foster parent. If she has a foster parent, she is a foster child not an orphan. Creating a techno-fantasy world in which Jamie Foxx lives does not help the situation. I think will it prove itself to be overdone. Someone should have told the producers to stick to the original plot*, keep it simple stupid. *Oh wait, Jamie Foxx is one of the producers. Another phenomenon that movies can do without is the culture of producer-actors, which gives the producer too much control of what his/her character can or will do in a film regardless of plot and intent. The film that I am currently awaiting is "The Boxtrolls". It looks visually amazing even though it is intentional low-tech: stop-motion animation.
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Post by the light works on Sept 15, 2014 14:02:21 GMT
I have already marked my calendar to be sure to ignore the premiere. Some fansites and wikis are trying to stretch some of the original details to fit the new plot. One fan site claims that Daddy Warbucks real name was originally Oliver Stacks and that Jamie Foxx's character being named 'William Stacks' follows suit. This is not true, the character's official full name is Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks. Others keep confusing the terms orphan & foster, which are not the same. They will say Annie was an orphan but Ms Halligan was her foster parent. If she has a foster parent, she is a foster child not an orphan. Creating a techno-fantasy world in which Jamie Foxx lives does not help the situation. I think will it prove itself to be overdone. Someone should have told the producers to stick to the original plot*, keep it simple stupid. *Oh wait, Jamie Foxx is one of the producers. Another phenomenon that movies can do without is the culture of producer-actors, which gives the producer too much control of what his/her character can or will do in a film regardless of plot and intent. The film that I am currently awaiting is "The Boxtrolls". It looks visually amazing even though it is intentional low-tech: stop-motion animation. but... Annie HAS to be good, it has a precocious (racially differenced) girl in it. [/sarcasm]
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Post by Cybermortis on Sept 15, 2014 14:16:27 GMT
It actually depends on the actor and the nature of what they are making. The two stars of Bones are also producers on the show, and have been for several years. But this hadn't resulted in either one of those characters being played differently (The two Characters having a kid came about as the actress was pregnant, and marriage was a logical way to move that along while keeping within the established tone of the series).
Of course TV shows tend to be ensemble characters, and (at least for the successful ones) cast members tend to be friends or at least on good terms and usually are more than happy to allow those friends to take the limelight in episodes without feeling threatened. Film is somewhat different, in that you usually have one main character around which the story revolves. And that lead actor can sometimes feel threatened if it looks like someone else is getting the limelight - in fact even if actors are NOT producers, the producers themselves can be scared of this happening and either pay far to much attention to actors or concentrate too much on them (Terminator Salvation springs to mind).
But just having an actor also be a producer isn't in itself cause for concern, anymore than 'actor-director' is. What matters is the common sense and ego of the individual and how well the other producers can and will stand up to them. (No TV show or film has just one producer - off the top of my head MB for example has around eight).
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Post by the light works on Sept 15, 2014 14:21:25 GMT
The key difference is whether it is a case of "vanity press"
there is a long standing tradition of producers, backers, and directors having cameo appearances, and a slightly less long standing tradition of actors and directors funding their own projects because they think they are worth making. - but on the other side, there is also a long standing tradition of people who have no ability whatsoever, funding their own production because they fully believe that "the establishment" just can't comprehend their brilliance.
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Sept 15, 2014 14:30:42 GMT
I think "Annie" is a case of vanity press. Jamie Foxx was great five years ago (the movie "Ray" & the song "Gold Digger") and keeps trying to relive that glory. Another factor is that the other lead producer is Jay Z, who is new to production & movies in general. This seems like another feather in his cap and another title for his resume: Rapper, Music Producer, Basketball team owner, Sports agent, fashion label owner, and (now) Movie producer. Two guys with too much money to waste.
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Post by mrfatso on Sept 15, 2014 14:36:48 GMT
This might be a cultural difference between the UK and USA, but it's possible to be both a foster child and an orphan, many foster children may not be orphans though just have parents that are unwilling or unable to look after them for a while. My Aunt and Uncle used to Foster, some children where only with them a few days say if a mother became ill before a Father, Grandparents or other relatives could be found to look after them. Others stayed a few weeks or months, sometimes if a parent was ill or away somewhere else. However I remember in some cases children who were bereaved placed in their care until long term arrangements could be made for their care.
In one case a little boy, who is now my Cousin came and was adopted by them.
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Sept 15, 2014 14:47:49 GMT
This might be a cultural difference between the UK and USA, but it's possible to be both a foster child and an orphan, many foster children may not be orphans though just have parents that are unwilling or unable to look after them for a while. My Aunt and Uncle used to Foster, some children where only with them a few days say if a mother became ill before a Father, Grandparents or other relatives could be found to look after them. Others stayed a few weeks or months, sometimes if a parent was ill or away somewhere else. However I remember in some cases children who were bereaved placed in their care until long term arrangements could be made for their care. In one case a little boy, who is now my Cousin came and was adopted by them. The term orphan, in the US, tends to refer to a child without any type of parent and guardian. Usually, orphans are wards of the state. Orphans that are taken in by foster parents become foster children because they now have a legal guardian. Foster arrangements, like you said, can last for a wide range of time frames and, in some cases, foster parents may be allowed/choose to adopt the children, who now becomes becomes an adoptee (the parent is now considered an adoptive parent). A lot of semantics and technicalities involved with the usage of these terms.
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Post by mrfatso on Sept 15, 2014 14:58:36 GMT
Like I say cultural differences then, to me Orphan refers to the state of losing your parents, and makes no references to your later care.
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Post by ironhold on Sept 15, 2014 15:30:52 GMT
The film that I am currently awaiting is "The Boxtrolls". It looks visually amazing even though it is intentional low-tech: stop-motion animation. However, the remake of "The Equalizer" opens against it, and so I'm trying to decide which one to watch since I'm only compensated for one film / review a week.
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Post by ironhold on Sept 15, 2014 15:32:24 GMT
I think "Annie" is a case of vanity press. Jamie Foxx was great five years ago (the movie "Ray" & the song "Gold Digger") and keeps trying to relive that glory. Another factor is that the other lead producer is Jay Z, who is new to production & movies in general. This seems like another feather in his cap and another title for his resume: Rapper, Music Producer, Basketball team owner, Sports agent, fashion label owner, and (now) Movie producer. Two guys with too much money to waste. I seem to recall some rap artist sampling the song "It's A Hard Knock Life" for one of their songs a few years ago. That might be the origin of the current project.
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Sept 15, 2014 15:46:39 GMT
I think "Annie" is a case of vanity press. Jamie Foxx was great five years ago (the movie "Ray" & the song "Gold Digger") and keeps trying to relive that glory. Another factor is that the other lead producer is Jay Z, who is new to production & movies in general. This seems like another feather in his cap and another title for his resume: Rapper, Music Producer, Basketball team owner, Sports agent, fashion label owner, and (now) Movie producer. Two guys with too much money to waste. I seem to recall some rap artist sampling the song "It's A Hard Knock Life" for one of their songs a few years ago. That might be the origin of the current project. That was Jay Z (released 10/27/98). At sixteen years ago, this must be a project that kept getting placed on the backburner until he convinced a big name (Jamie Foxx) to join in.
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Post by ironhold on Sept 15, 2014 16:49:32 GMT
I seem to recall some rap artist sampling the song "It's A Hard Knock Life" for one of their songs a few years ago. That might be the origin of the current project. That was Jay Z (released 10/27/98). At sixteen years ago, this must be a project that kept getting placed on the backburner until he convinced a big name (Jamie Foxx) to join in. It wouldn't surprise me if something like this was in "development hell" (the actual industry term for a situation in which a project is stuck in development for a prolonged period) for a while, especially if there were issues with getting permission from the person or organization that owns the rights to the "Annie" comic strip.
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Post by silverdragon on Sept 16, 2014 7:43:37 GMT
Can anyone say "Tax Dodge".........
The Producers in real life?
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Sept 16, 2014 12:44:00 GMT
Can anyone say "Tax Dodge"......... The Producers in real life? You may be on to something... But, what about 'Hold Me, Squeeze Me' and 'Kiss Me, Touch Me'?
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Post by the light works on Sept 16, 2014 13:57:36 GMT
Can anyone say "Tax Dodge"......... The Producers in real life? that implies a more charitable opinion of the size of their ego than I am inclined to apply.
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Post by mrfatso on Sept 16, 2014 16:39:25 GMT
Then again, It may turn out alright I was not that impressed when I heard that the Bishop's wife is going to remade, in the end the the Preachers wife with Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington, turned out to be okay
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Post by silverdragon on Sept 17, 2014 6:47:45 GMT
We are getting into the territory of films to be avoided.....
Interesting discussion here at home, "Chick flicks" and why men hate them led me and the missus to discuss what films we would NOT want to see, and how no way on earth would we expect each other to go and see a film they didnt want too..
Now I know "In the name of love" many here have sat through some truly awful stuff just 'cos the "Other half" wants to watch.....
We have two TV systems here, I can go watch anything I want on either of them at any time, no recriminations, because we agree we have different likes/dislikes.
So why do Women drag the fella along to see a chick flick?... I see it as a method of torture "If you loved me you would", and I see that as degrading?....
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Post by mrfatso on Sept 17, 2014 16:37:18 GMT
It's the same reason though why some women go along to watch an action movie or SciFi, I have friends whose wives, or girlfriends consider all that stuff tosh, but have to go along to watch it sometimes. The luckiest ones are where both have similar tastes, though it does tend to falling into a bit of a rut. Sometimes though a movie will surprise a person something that they did not think you would enjoy will turnout to move you when you did not think it would.
Unless of course you are my Mum, we brought her the Kings Speech a few years ago for her Birthday, everyone told her at her club, it was good so she wanted to see it she watched about half an hour, said this is boring, turned it off and went to put on Police Story instead, something with some punching in she said.
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Post by the light works on Sept 18, 2014 1:24:17 GMT
It's the same reason though why some women go along to watch an action movie or SciFi, I have friends whose wives, or girlfriends consider all that stuff tosh, but have to go along to watch it sometimes. The luckiest ones are where both have similar tastes, though it does tend to falling into a bit of a rut. Sometimes though a movie will surprise a person something that they did not think you would enjoy will turnout to move you when you did not think it would. Unless of course you are my Mum, we brought her the Kings Speech a few years ago for her Birthday, everyone told her at her club, it was good so she wanted to see it she watched about half an hour, said this is boring, turned it off and went to put on Police Story instead, something with some punching in she said. I have developed the opinion that if it is in the running for best picture I will find it boring or annoying, or both.
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