Drama, drama, drama. And no, I’m not referring to the genre.
We’ve got folks at odds all throughout the industry. India’s Central Board of Film Certification isn’t happy with the level of nudity in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but David Fincher isn’t willing to make the required cuts, so it looks like Dragon Tattoo will be a no go for India. Similarly, Hungary gave a rather naughty Shame poster the thumbs down.
On the other hand, we’ve also got quite a bit of film appreciation floating around out there, namely the nominations for the 84th Academy Awards. Hugo topped the pack with 11 honors while The Artist followed close behind with 10 nods. A bunch of films at Sundance also snagged some blue ribbons, some being honored with awards and others earning distribution.
Ready for the rundown? Here’s your latest Movie News Cheat Sheet.
1. Sundance: And that’s a wrap on Sundance 2012. The Weinstein Company snagged Stephen Frears’ Lay the Favorite while Entertainment One took the Joel Edgerton-starrer Wish You Were Here. The found footage horror film V/H/S is now under the Magnolia Pictures umbrella and IFC got Liberal Arts, which stars Elizabeth Olsen and Zac Efron. Sony and Samuel Goldwyn took Robot and Frank and Millennium snatched the US rights to Red Lights. Veering away from the business side of the festival, Beast of the Southern Wild was honored with the Grand Jury Prize while The Surrogate won the Audience Award. Ava DuVerynay was honored with the US Directing Award for Middle of Nowhere and Derek Connolly won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Safety Not Guaranteed. Head on over to Reuters and Vulture to check out the full list of sales and winners respectively.
2. No Censor, No India for Fincher: So far The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has made over $184 million worldwide, but it looks as though that number won’t be upped by India in the coming months. According to Variety, Sony Pictures Entertainment isn’t releasing the film there this month as planned because India’s Central Board of Film Certification’s concern about nudity. Should Fincher make the required five cuts to his film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo could hit the big screen in India in February, but Fincher refuses to make any alterations. A Sony India spokesperson explained, “Sony Pictures will not be releasing ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ in India. The Censor Board has adjudged the film unsuitable for public viewing in its unaltered form and, while we are committed to maintaining and protecting the vision of the director, we will, as always, respect the guidelines set by the board.”
3. No Shame In Hungary: In other no no news, Hungary isn’t happy with the latest poster for Shame. Nudity and sexual implications in a feature film is one thing, but is this really necessary – especially from a film that’s achieved an immense amount of respect and critical acclaim? The image actually reminds me quite a bit of that naughty one for The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) and while that one didn’t win my approval either, at least it fell right in line with Tom Six’s line of work – shock value over quality. It’s unfortunate, too, because Shame had done such a nice job artfully and tactfully hinting at what’s to come with images like this. (via Cinema Blend)
4. Ferris Bueller Going to the Super Bowl: Bueller? Bueller? Actually, soon enough, Bueller really will be present yet again because Matthew Broderick will reprise his iconic role during the Super Bowl on February 5th. Anticipation first boiled over when this clip of an all-grown-up Ferris hit the web and now Jalopnik has the official word, Ferris Bueller is doing a little something for Honda. According to their source, “The spot was going to mimic much of the original film, except this time prominently featuring Hondas.” Bye bye, Ferrari. Hello, Honda CR-V. That source also mentioned that Honda is going big with this one, dropping a ton of cash and hiring The Hangover writer/director Todd Phillips to make it happen.
5. Demi Moore Hits a Rough Patch: Despite her recent breakup with Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore still seemed to be relatively on the top of the world – or at least Hollywood. She’s been pumping out film after film the past few years and was even part of one of 2011’s best, Margin Call. However, it looks like her relationship woes put her career on the rocks because Moore officially dropped out of Lovelace just after being rushed to the hospital supposedly for exhaustion. The part of Gloria Steinem, a women’s rights activist, has since been filled by Sarah Jessica Parker. Lovelace or no Lovelace, Moore’s career will be fine when she is. Even as the tabloids scrutinize the actress’ every move, who really knows what’s going on behind closed doors? All we can do is send our best wishes and hope this top-notch talent regains her footing and recovers tenfold. (via EW)
6. Hangover 3 = $15 Million x 3: When you’re part of a pair of films that make $277 million and $254 million worldwide, you kind of get the right to ask for a bigger paycheck. Then again, it does seem a little ridiculous to be handing over a $15 million haul to a single person, but that’s Hollywood for you! As reported by THR, Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifiankis and Ed Helms are banding together to up their fee from $5 million for The Hangover 2 to $15 million apiece for The Hangover 3 and apparently they’re pretty close to sealing the deal. The Hangover was made for just $35 million, so clearly that means The Hangover 3 will put the franchise in an entirely different budget bracket. Round three will feature the trio in Los Angeles in an entirely different type of story, one sans a night they can’t remember. Warner Bros. hopes to begin shooting in the summer and have the film on track for a Memorial Day 2013 release.
7. Talk to The Avengers’ Joss Whedon, Tom Hiddleston and Clark Gregg: No, really, you can talk to The Avengers writer-director and stars when they take to Twitter on January 31, 2012 at 11am (PST) for a live Twitter chat. Using the @Avengers handle and the #Avengers hashtag, you’ll have 30 minutes to chat away and also get a chance to answer some Avengers trivia for prize packs. Live overseas? You can participate, too! Ortsbo.com is taking questions for the talent and that chat will be moderated by @Agent_M. Be sure to keep an eye on @Avengers for additional details.
8. Academy Award Nominations: And so the countdown begins. With just less than a month to go until the Academy Awards on Sunday, February 26th, we get the list of nominees. Jennifer Lawrence and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Tom Sherak took to the stage on January 24th to reveal the heavyweights. The Best Picture category consisted of almost exactly what you’d expect, but with Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close just sneaking in there. As for Actor in a Leading Role, Gary Oldman’s name was a nice surprise, but the battle will likely come down to George Clooney for The Descendants and Jean Dujardin for The Artist. Meryl Streep might be the easy option for Best Actress in a Leading Role, but my fingers are crossed for The Help’s Viola Davis as well as her co-star, Octavia Spencer, who’s the heavy favorite for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. It was nice to see Nick Nolte get some love for his work in Warrior, but if the Academy keeps in line with other awards associations, Best Actor in a Supporting Role likely belongs to Beginners’ Christopher Plummer. Click here to see the full list of nominations for the 84th Academy Awards.
9. Trailers: The Hunter, Mirror Mirror, Seeking Justice: Liam Neeson better watch his back; Willem Dafoe is out hunting too and he isn’t just after your average wolf, he’s hunting a Tasmanian Tiger. The new trailer for The Hunter shows off what looks to be a rather ruthless venture, with a hardened yet passionate main character in the center. I’m normally not one for family-friendly fantastical romps, but Mirror Mirror is looking like a ton of fun, on top of being another Tarsem Singh visual spectacle. The pacing of this new international trailer could use a boost, but the imagery and stars are still more than enough to maintain a strong appeal. Things haven’t been going so well for Nicolas Cage lately, with the critics and at the box office, but his latest flick, Seeking Justice, doesn’t look all that bad, but maybe that’s thanks to Guy Pearce more than anything. His character commands the film’s new trailer, offering up a particularly menacing villain.
10. Box Office: Liam Neeson has done it again! The Grey had a commanding lead on the competition this weekend, earning a total of $20 million on a solid $6,279 per theater average. Trailing about $7.5 million behind is Underworld: Awakening, which took the expected 50% week two hit, putting another $12.5 million in the bank. Newcomer One for the Money did fairly well considering the immense amount of sour reviews. The film kicked off its run with $11.8 million and a $4,293 per theater average. Red Tails lost 44.6% of its week one profits, earning $10.4 million and the fourth position on the charts while the third newcomer, Man on a Ledge, is off to a rather weak start, only earning $8.3 million. (via Box Office Mojo)
