TNMC

11 June, 2003

Have you heard about Hollywood's recent activities in trying to stop the making of bootleg copies of movies? At certain screening, metal detectors have been added, guards are conducting searches of incoming viewers and ushers wander the auditorium during the film wearing nightvision goggles. All of this is to search for recording equipment. Along the way, virtually all electronic devices are being banned. One critic wasn't allowed to bring along a microcassette recorder, one which he has for years used to record notes. Cell phones are being banned as well. Not because their use during a film is annoying as you might expect, but because of the emergence of vide phones. This despite the fact that the phones are incapable of recording and transmitting a full film.

Is this a case of an industry simply protecting its best interests or are we witnessing the beginning of something more insidious? Remember the old adage, "the customer is always right?" It's a hokey old expression but it still contains a lot of truth. One of the best ways to build a business strongly is to give customers exactly what they want. Following the lead of the music industry, the movie industry has begun to believe that not only is the customer not always right, the customer is a criminal. The extraordinary expansion of file-swapping services on the internet has engendered such a severe paranoia that they have decided to take a page from the Bush administration's playbook and launch preemptive strikes. Rather than wait for someone to illegally copy and sell a film and then prosecute, the idea is to treat all customers as potential thieves and subject them to searches and spying. Now to be fair, the system is only being used for advanced screenings. It's probably a fair assumption though that if they feel the system is working and affordable that it will expand to more theaters. It's one thing to inconvenience and harass critics (not that I particularly want that) and industry types. It's another thing entirely to do that to paying customers.

I can virtually guarantee that instituting such a system in all theaters would cause an immediate and radical drip in movie patrons. People are simply not going to stand for being treated like criminals for no apparent reason. The vast majority of moviegoers are honest people just looking for some entertainment. It's not entertaining to be patted down. It's not entertaining to have to go through metal detectors. It takes away from the enjoyment of a film to have an usher walking around with goggles, looking for illegal behavior. Hollywood needs to be extraordinarily careful here. Travelling further down this path could lead to ruin. Take a good look at the music industry. Their industry group, the RIAA has been aggressively been pursuing "pirates," as they like to call them. At the same time, their sales have been dropping dramatically. This an industry starting to collapse and rather than focus on what will bring back customers, they are focused intently on prosecuting. They need a carrot but instead chose the stick. If the movie industry pursues a similar set of tactics, the results could be far more severe.

News

The Transformers: Transformers: The Movie is considered by some on this site to be an under rated classic. Most of us spent a good chunk of time watching the original series on TV or reading the comic as kids. I personally have a copy of Transformers #1. Anyway, the point is, the robots that change into vehicles have a pretty good fan base. And yet I'm surprised to hear that a live action version is being prepared for the big screen. Don Murphy, producer of such genre films as From Hell and the upcoming League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, has teamed up with writer Tom DeSanto of X-Men and X2 to create a new movie. Now don't get too excited yet. The duo have yet to start shopping the project to studios so as yet the robots in disguise are robots without a job. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed. I would genuinely love to see the Autobots and Decepticons slug it out live actin on the big screen. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Fun with Dick and Jane: Jim Carrey wasted no time cashing in on the success of Bruce Almighty. He's already lined up his next project, a remake of the heist flick Fun With Dick and Jane. The orginal starred George Segal and Jane Fonda as a wealthy couple who start robbing places to pay their bills. Peter Tolan (Analyse This, America's Sweethearts) wrote the script for the remake. Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, Get Shorty) will direct. (Variety)

Mr. Peabody & Sherman: Rob Minkoff is developing a live action/CGI animated film based on the Mr. Peabody & Sherman characters that appeared on the Rocky and His Friends animated series from the 60s. It is the story of a super-genius dog Mr. Peabody and his pet boy Sherman, who repeatedly travel back in time. No writer has been named yet. Minkoff is planning to produce but could direct under the right circumstances. If all goes well, a TV series could follow. (Variety)

Robots: Fox Animation is two months into production on a new CGI animated film. Robots is about a young genius who wants his robots to revolutionize the world. But then he falls in love with an "executive" robot leading to a showdown with a tyrannical CEO. The film is scheduled for a March 11, 2005 release, exactly three years after the release of Fox's Ice Age. The project has already attracted an impressive cast of voice actors. Already lined up are Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Mel Brooks, Drew Carey, Jim Broadbent, Stanley Tucci, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Coolidge, Paul Giamatti, Dan Hedaya, D.L. Hughley, Jamie Kennedy, Harland Williams, Sofia Vergara and Amanda Bynes. The script was written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (Parenthood) based on a story by David Lindsay-Abaire. Chris Wedge will direct. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Casting Couch

Stay: Naomi Watts (Mulholland Drive, The Ring) has signed on to star opposite Ewan McGregor in the supernatural thriller Stay. Shooting is scheduled to begin in September. Written by David Benioff, the story centers around an Ivy League professor who attempts to stop a student from committing suicide. Watts would play his girlfriend. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Fun With Dick and Jane: Cameron Diaz is apparently topping Columbia Pictures' list of candidates to star opposite Jim Carrey in this remake. The two worked together previously on The Mask. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Terminal: Chi McBride (Boston Public) has signed to appear in Steven Spielberg's latest project, Terminal. He will star with Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The story is of a Balkan immigrant who takes up residence in an airport lounge after discovering that a civil war has basically eliminated his country's borders and thus nulling his passport. McBride plays a baggage handler who makes friends with the man. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Date Change

The Missing: Ron Howard's thriller The Missing was originally scheduled for a January 16, 2004 wide release but has now been moved up. The film will get a platform release where it opens in six theaters in New York and LA on December 10, 2003. That will expand to about 125 theaters in 12-15 cities by Christmas. The film will finally release nationwide on January 9. (The Hollywood Reporter)