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February 5th, 2008 Written by: Zane · No Comments
And on the 89th day, writers and producers came to an agreement…
After a marathon session at the negotiating table last Friday, writers and studio chiefs took their words to the next level. Now, lawyers are drafting contract proposals to possibly bring about the end of the strike.
It’s tentative at this point, but here’s what would restart the stoppage:
- A draft of a contract that both sides agree upon (already in the works)
- A review and acceptance of that contract by the WGA’s 17-member negotiating committee.
- An affirmative vote on the contract by WGA’s East and West boards of directors, and
- A ratification vote by the guild’s 10,500 members.
[Read more →]
Tags: Local Politics · News
February 2nd, 2008 Written by: Zane · No Comments
Big breasts. Big screen. What’s better than that? Quality writing! Russ Meyer was one of few filmmakers to ever successfully combine pornography with plot. While his films are tame by today’s standards, they warranted X ratings back in the day. Now, find out why Psychotronic fanzines have obsessed over these movies for decades. (hint: they’re insane). And feminists, let it be known: the women in Meyer’s films were never treated like sex objects. They were treated like sex vacuums, wielding their power in ways Mother Nature would only smile upon. Psychosis commences every Friday in February.
All shows begin at 10:30 PM. Silent Movie Theater. Tickets here.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film
February 2nd, 2008 Written by: Zane · No Comments
Big breasts. Big screen. What’s better than that? Quality writing! Russ Meyer was one of few filmmakers to ever successfully combine pornography with plot. While his films are tame by today’s standards, they warranted X ratings back in the day. Now, find out why Psychotronic fanzines have obsessed over these movies for decades. (hint: they’re insane). And feminists, let it be known: the women in Meyer’s films were never treated like sex objects. They were treated like sex vacuums, wielding their power in ways Mother Nature would only smile upon. Psychosis commences every Friday in February.
All shows begin at 10:30 PM. Silent Movie Theater. Tickets here.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film
January 29th, 2008 Written by: Zane · No Comments
WGA chiefs are serious about ending the strike before Oscar time. That doesn’t guarantee a Hollywood ending, but hopes are high. And there are few signs that point to a non-resolution, except…
If the pending WGA contract is to reflect the one signed by the Directors Guild (as most think it will), then the WGA must bend over a little further. While the directors agreed to a deal that offers .7% in TV internet residuals and .65% for online film downloads, the writers are asking for more than 3 times that amount: 2.5% for TV and 2% for film. That’s a healthy margin. If the WGA is serious about ending it soon, they’ll ask for less. If the producers are serious, they’ll offer more.
[Read more →]
Tags: Entertainment · Local Politics
January 28th, 2008 Written by: Zane · 1 Comment
The fourth installment into the Rambo franchise is one of the most violent movies ever. Our hero used to just mow people down with machine guns, exploding arrows, and the occasional knife to the throat. But now, he maims people: severing limbs, gutting, and tearing throat with bare hand. It all plays out like a combo of “Friday the 13th Part IV” and every war movie made in the 80’s. So yeah, it’s pretty cool.
The setup is a bit rough, though. We’re led to believe that a group of Christian doctors would have the nuts to go to one of the most violent areas on the planet, just to give medicine to the sick. This could happen in reality, but it wouldn’t happen in this movie, because the actors who play the Christians don’t summon enough emotion to pull it off.
Rambo doesn’t buy it either. He tells the dumbass martyrs to go home, but they’re on a mission from God. So he takes them upriver to the asshole of the world and drops them off. They disappear. He’s hired to get them back. End of story.
Begin killing spree.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · Reviews
January 28th, 2008 Written by: Zane · 1 Comment
The fourth installment into the Rambo franchise is one of the most violent movies ever. Our hero used to just mow people down with machine guns, exploding arrows, and the occasional knife to the throat. But now, he maims people: severing limbs, gutting, and tearing throat with bare hand. It all plays out like a combo of “Friday the 13th Part IV” and every war movie made in the 80’s. So yeah, it’s pretty cool.
The setup is a bit rough, though. We’re led to believe that a group of Christian doctors would have the nuts to go to one of the most violent areas on the planet, just to give medicine to the sick. This could happen in reality, but it wouldn’t happen in this movie, because the actors who play the Christians don’t summon enough emotion to pull it off.
Rambo doesn’t buy it either. He tells the dumbass martyrs to go home, but they’re on a mission from God. So he takes them upriver to the asshole of the world and drops them off. They disappear. He’s hired to get them back. End of story.
Begin killing spree.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · Reviews
January 26th, 2008 Written by: Zane · No Comments
Remember when Vanilla Ice was considered hip? I swear to god it happened for a week in 1991, around the same time kids were wearing Hammer pants. Vanilla’s popularity was so short-lived, that by the time he wrapped production on his first film, even the dumbest Americans were sick of him. On a budget of $6 million, “Cool as Ice” plundered less than a third of that back in ticket sales. Now it’s on the big screen once more. For one night only: come join a crowd of grey-haired children and help us mock this “rap oriented remake of ‘Rebel Without a Cause.’” Saturday. January 25th. Midnite. New Beverly. Tickets at the door.
The pompous assholes at the AFI redeem themselves this week, as “2001″ plays in a “special dome presentation in 70MM with six track magnetic discrete magnetic sound.” I don’t know exactly what all that means, but it sounds incredible. Meet me in the parking 15 minutes early; we’ll share a joint. Wednesday. January 30th. 8:00 PM. ArcLight Hollywood. Tickets Here. AFI is also presenting “The Shining.” Monday. January 28th. 7:30 PM. ArcLight Sherman Oaks. Tickets Here.
And if you dig movies about Nam vets who go ape-shit and kill everything, ignore the title of this column. Go see Rambo 4.
If you dig movies that were once considered hip and young but are now pop-cultural artifacts, check out Marlon Brando in the pre-”Easy Rider” biker movie, “The Wild One.” It plays in conjunction with a sweet Bob Dylan exhibit at the Skirball Center. Tuesday. January 29th. 1:30 PM. Admission free. No reservation necessary.
[Read more →]
Tags: Film
January 22nd, 2008 Written by: Zane · No Comments
If the strike doesn’t end before the Oscar ceremony on February 24th, it could stretch well into the second half of the year. That’s the current buzz in Hollywood. And the studios have stepped up, inviting the Writers Guild back to the round table for the first time since communication broke down on December 7th.
Scanning daily trade papers right now is like watching ancient reruns. While the industry awaits progress, reporters continue to speculate on the same issues, over and over: the WGA wants jurisdiction over new media. Will they get it? The WGA wants residuals on new media. Can they get it? The WGA wants jurisdiction over reality and animation programming. Can they accept the fact they probably won’t get it?
Studios dealt an intimidating blow to the writing community early last week, when Warner Bros. TV, CBS Paramount Network TV, 20th Cent. Fox TV and Universal Media Studios dropped the axe on a handful of contracts, officially severing ties with a total of almost 75 writers and producers. While the studios issued statements blaming those cuts on the strike, one WGA rep maintained that, “the responsibility for people losing their jobs or for deals being cut rests solely on the shoulders of the conglomerates that illegally walked out on negotiations December 7.” [Read more →]
Tags: Celebrity News · Film · Local Politics
January 22nd, 2008 Written by: Zane · No Comments
If the strike doesn’t end before the Oscar ceremony on February 24th, it could stretch well into the second half of the year. That’s the current buzz in Hollywood. And the studios have stepped up, inviting the Writers Guild back to the round table for the first time since communication broke down on December 7th.
Scanning daily trade papers right now is like watching ancient reruns. While the industry awaits progress, reporters continue to speculate on the same issues, over and over: the WGA wants jurisdiction over new media. Will they get it? The WGA wants residuals on new media. Can they get it? The WGA wants jurisdiction over reality and animation programming. Can they accept the fact they probably won’t get it?
Studios dealt an intimidating blow to the writing community early last week, when Warner Bros. TV, CBS Paramount Network TV, 20th Cent. Fox TV and Universal Media Studios dropped the axe on a handful of contracts, officially severing ties with a total of almost 75 writers and producers. While the studios issued statements blaming those cuts on the strike, one WGA rep maintained that, “the responsibility for people losing their jobs or for deals being cut rests solely on the shoulders of the conglomerates that illegally walked out on negotiations December 7.” [Read more →]
Tags: Celebrity News · Film · Local Politics
January 19th, 2008 Written by: Zane · No Comments
While Americans flock to the Turd Shops this weekend to see Cloverfield, there are plenty alternatives to the mainstream. Here’s a look at the indie theater circuit in Hollywood:
Gore galore commences at The New Beverly Theater this Tuesday. The Grindhouse Film Festival will offer a double dose of H.G. Lewis pics with “The Wizard of Gore” (recently featured in the film Juno) and “She-Devils on Wheels.” The show starts at 7:30 PM. Don’t be late because it’s usually packed, plus you won’t want to the slew of badass retro trailers that always kicks off the show. Also at the New Beverly this week: an Orson Welles double feature of “Citizen Kane” and “The Magnificent Ambersons.”
[Read more →]
Tags: Film · Upcoming events
January 14th, 2008 Written by: Zane · No Comments
Will the writers’ strike shut down the Oscars? It’s unlikely; although the WGA managed to scare the Globes out of a ceremony, few believe the Oscars will suffer the same fate. Why? Because they’re the Oscars.
With the big event more than six weeks away, most industry insiders are unwilling to comment on the issue.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is moving ahead with their annual plans to prepare the show. The Globes did the same thing, and ended up losing millions of dollars in production costs (not to mention 10’s of millions in ad revenue). But the Globes are second-rate Oscars. And many actors, directors and producers were happy to have one less red-carpet event to attend this year.
[Read more →]
Tags: Celebrity News · Film
January 14th, 2008 Written by: Zane · No Comments
Will the writers’ strike shut down the Oscars? It’s unlikely; although the WGA managed to scare the Globes out of a ceremony, few believe the Oscars will suffer the same fate. Why? Because they’re the Oscars.
With the big event more than six weeks away, most industry insiders are unwilling to comment on the issue.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is moving ahead with their annual plans to prepare the show. The Globes did the same thing, and ended up losing millions of dollars in production costs (not to mention 10’s of millions in ad revenue). But the Globes are second-rate Oscars. And many actors, directors and producers were happy to have one less red-carpet event to attend this year.
[Read more →]
Tags: Celebrity News · Film
